Mali’s capital Bamako is paralyzed by a blockade on fuel imports imposed by a group affiliated with Al-Qaeda. Experts fear a collapse of the Mali state, which could have consequences throughout the region.
In response to the situation, the French Foreign Ministry on Nov. 14 recommended that French nationals in the country “make temporary departure arrangements” as soon as possible. The Italian-Swiss shipping company MSC has announced that it is suspending its land deliveries “until further notice” due to security issues and fuel shortages. For several weeks, jihadists from the Al-Qaeda affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) have imposed a blockade on fuel imports as far as Bamako, paralyzing the economy of the landlocked Sahelian country. This strangulation strategy has forced the government to close schools, prevent agricultural harvests in several regions, and has undermined access to electricity.
The military, which has been in power since the revolution in 2021, had promised to stem the jihadist expansion that has been rocking the country for more than a decade. They broke with their former Western military and political allies, including France, and called on Russian paramilitaries to help fight the jihadists.
