Mali’s Defense Minister was killed on Saturday during a wave of coordinated strikes that targeted the capital and several other cities. Separatist rebels from the Azawad Liberation Front joined forces with the Al-Qaeda-linked group JNIM to launch the assault on Bamako’s international airport and military bases in central Mali, the government announced. At least 16 people were wounded, including civilians caught in the crossfire as the attackers moved through the streets. The junta in Mali has recently turned to the Russian-backed Africa Corps for security, but the United Nations has accused these forces of creating a “climate of terror and complete impunity.” Assimi Goita, the leader of the junta, made his first public appearance after the attacks by visiting victims at a hospital in Kati. The violence represents a catastrophic failure of the state to protect its own people. As Islamic militants and separatists claim simultaneous victories, the families of Bamako are left to wonder who truly holds the sword of justice. This is the bitter fruit of a world that prioritizes paramilitary power over the patient work of building a stable and moral society.