Mali’s junta said its forces have launched airstrikes in the western region of Kayes after al Qaeda-linked fighters threatened to cut off fuel supplies to the capital, Bamako.
- Mali’s military junta has initiated airstrikes in Kayes due to threats from al Qaeda-linked militants aiming to block fuel supplies to Bamako.
- The junta has faced challenges in controlling violence despite seeking support from Russia’s Wagner Group after severing ties with France.
- Operations were conducted to counter a blockade by militants who targeted infrastructure and intercepted shipments in Kayes and Nioro.
- The blockade disrupted regional trade, with trucking routes to Senegal’s Dakar and Bamako affected and several truck abductions reported.
Mali’s junta said its forces have launched airstrikes in the western region of Kayes after al Qaeda-linked fighters threatened to cut off fuel supplies to the capital, Bamako, raising fears of a new chokehold on the landlocked nation.
The junta, which seized power in 2020 and consolidated authority after a second coup in 2021, has struggled to contain the spread of violence despite breaking ties with France and turning to Russia’s Wagner Group for support.
The operations mark the latest push by the junta to counter intensifying pressure from insurgents seeking to encircle towns and cities across the Sahel.
Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al Qaeda affiliate, declared on Thursday that it would restrict fuel shipments and the movement of residents in Kayes and the nearby town of Nioro, close to the borders with Senegal and Mauritania, according to Reuters.
Since then, militants have intercepted and emptied fuel trucks, a Nioro resident said.
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The army said in a statement on Monday that it had conducted operations in Diema and Nioro, including airstrikes. A colonel stationed in Nioro told state television that troops had also freed hostages held by militants.
Regional trade disrupted
The blockade has already disrupted regional commerce. Truckers’ unions say companies have suspended routes linking Bamako with Senegal’s capital, Dakar, while militants have also blocked the road between Bamako and the southern city of Segou.
On Friday, six Senegalese truck drivers were abducted by militants before being released the following day, a Senegalese union said. They were released the following day, union spokesperson Daouda Lo said.
Kayes, a hub for gold mining and trade, has become an increasing target for insurgent attacks. Since May, militants have struck cement and sugar factories as well as mines operated by foreign firms, including Barrick Gold and B2Gold.
A Malian security analyst in Bamako said JNIM’s swift enforcement of the blockade underlined the group’s growing strength and ability to challenge state authority.
