Mali leaves itself at the mercy of jihadists

Residents of north and central Mali face the risk of an onslaught of violence from resurgent jihadist forces.

Their rulers are to blame.

Colonel Assimi Goita, the leader of Mali’s military junta, has engineered the departure of a 13,000-strong United Nations force just over a year after strained relations with France led Paris to withdraw its 5,000 troops…