Fighting in Mali and Russian Soldiers

Apr 29, 2026, 13:28
AfricaPolitics

Introduction

The government in Mali has a big problem. Two groups of fighters attacked the army. Many people died and the fighters took some land.

Main Body

Two groups of fighters attacked military bases on Saturday. They took the city of Kidal. The Minister of Defence died in the fighting. The army says they killed 200 attackers, but the fighters still have some land. Russian soldiers from the Africa Corps were in Kidal. They left the city when the fighters came. Some people say the Russians left because they were afraid. They left their drones and equipment behind. Now, people do not trust Russia to keep Mali safe. Russia wants to be friends with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Russia wants gold and other minerals from these countries. But the fighters in Mali want all Russian soldiers to leave. France told its people to leave Mali now because it is dangerous.

Conclusion

Mali is still dangerous. The government wants to stop the fighting. Russian soldiers are still helping the government in some areas.

Learning

🚩 Action Words (Past vs. Present)

In this story, we see two different ways to talk about time. This is the secret to moving from A1 to A2.

1. Things that already happened (Past) These words usually end in -ed. They are finished.

  • Attack →\rightarrow Attacked
  • Want →\rightarrow Wanted (Not in text, but follows the rule)

Special words that change completely:

  • Are →\rightarrow Were
  • Leave →\rightarrow Left
  • Die →\rightarrow Died

2. Things happening now (Present) These words describe a current situation or a general truth.

  • Wants →\rightarrow Russia wants gold.
  • Is →\rightarrow Mali is dangerous.
  • Have →\rightarrow Fighters have land.

💡 Quick Tip: If you see -ed, look at the calendar →\rightarrow it is in the past! If you see -s (like wants), it is about one person or group right now.

Vocabulary Learning

government
governing body政府
Example:The government is trying to solve the problem.
problem
difficulty問題
Example:The problem is that many people are missing.
group
a set of people群體
Example:Two groups of fighters were involved.
fighter
a person who fights戰士
Example:The fighters attacked the army.
attack
to strike攻擊
Example:They attacked the military bases.
army
military force軍隊
Example:The army defended the bases.
people
humans人民
Example:Many people died in the conflict.
die
to stop living死亡
Example:The minister died in the fighting.
land
territory土地
Example:The fighters took some land.
base
a military station基地
Example:The army bases were attacked.
city
a large town城市
Example:They took the city of Kidal.
minister
government official部長
Example:The Minister of Defence died.
defence
protection防禦
Example:The Minister of Defence died.
kill
to end life殺死
Example:The army said they killed 200 attackers.
attacker
a person who attacks攻擊者
Example:The army killed 200 attackers.
soldier
military member士兵
Example:Russian soldiers were in Kidal.
left
to depart離開
Example:They left the city when the fighters came.
afraid
scared害怕
Example:Some people say they left because they were afraid.
equipment
tools裝備
Example:They left their equipment behind.
trust
to believe信任
Example:People do not trust Russia.
dangerous
risky危險的
Example:France told its people to leave Mali because it is dangerous.
stop
to cease停止
Example:The government wants to stop the fighting.
help
to assist幫助
Example:Russian soldiers are still helping the government.