Mali launches airstrikes in response to militant-imposed fuel blockade

In Mali, the military has launched airstrikes in the gold-rich Kayes region after al-Qaeda-linked militants moved to block fuel imports into the capital, Bamako.

The group, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, announced a blockade last week, also restricting movement in the towns of Kayes and Nioro near the Senegalese and Mauritanian borders.

Since then, militants have stopped fuel trucks and escalated attacks on businesses including cement factories, sugar plants, and gold mines operated by global firms like Barrick and B2Gold.

The Malian army confirmed airstrikes and hostage rescues in Diema and Nioro. But the pressure is mounting: transport companies are halting operations, and roads are blocked across key trade routes.

Analysts say JNIM is trying to encircle urban centers and destabilize Mali’s transitional government by strangling supply lines and stirring civilian unrest.