Dozens of vehicles burnt as Mali jihadists enforce blockade
Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM has imposed a blockade on the roads connecting Mali's central and southern provinces to Bamako, burning at least 47 fuel and food trucks in the past week. Essential supplies in the capital are now down to about three weeks.
Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has blockaded the main highways linking Bamako to key provinces including Sikasso, Koutiala and Kayes since early June. According to reports gathered by BBC Africa, at least 47 fuel and food trucks have been attacked in the past week, and 11 drivers have been killed.
Transport-ministry sources say fuel and basic food stocks in the capital are down to about three weeks. Overnight queues have formed at petrol stations across Bamako; rice and sugar prices have risen roughly 60% from last month. Interim President Assimi Goita said an armed convoy escort operation, which will include Wagner units, has been launched to reopen the roads.
Regional analysts say JNIM has leaned harder on a 'siege warfare' approach since 2024, aiming to wear the central government down economically. Senegal has deployed extra troops to the Malian border, and the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has issued a new food-security alert for the region. JNIM has said the blockade will continue 'as long as collaborator convoys move'.
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