A group linked to the Al Qaeda Islamist network is closing in on the capital of Mali, in north-west Africa. 

This group, known as JNIM, now controls swathes of territory in the Sahel, a region that stretches across several countries in the Sahara. 

If JNIM takes the capital, Bamako, it would be the first time an Al Qaeda affiliate has seized power in a country. 

What would that mean for Africa and the Islamic world? 

GUEST:

• Dr Tessa Deveraux- Assistant Professor in Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London