Mali's army acts to secure strategic trade routes after attempted jihadist blockade

Mali’s armed forces are stepping up their efforts to protect strategic trade routes linking the capital Bamako to neighbouring Senegal from attacks by armed groups.  

On Wednesday, fuel trucks and other vehicles coming from Senegal were given a full military escort to ensure their safe arrival.  

Last week, transport companies suspended operations along the route after al-Qaeda linked militants Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) announced a blockade on the capital and began stopping and setting fire to fuel trucks.  

The army responded with a major military operation including airstrikes in the western region of Kayes, near the border with Senegal and Mauritania, and says it has successfully broken the blockade.  

The offensive is the latest attempt by Mali's ruling military junta to weaken the militant group as it tries to tighten its grip on the economy by banning fuel imports from neighbouring countries. Since May, the jihadists have been attacking Malian and foreign-owned businesses in Kayes, including cement factories, sugar factories, and mines. Multinational miners, including Barrick Mining and B2Gold, operate in the region. 

Growing insurgency

JNIM is among the deadliest of several armed groups operating in the Sahel region, which stretches from North to West Africa. It’s the site of a rapidly growing insurgency and a hot spot for militant attacks. 

The West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, split notably over the sharp rise in Islamist attacks across the region. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger withdrew from the bloc after coups in the three countries.  

They formed a separate multilateral security alliance in 2023 – the Alliance of Sahel States - ditching long-term Western partners such as France for Russia. But data shows Islamist attacks have only increased since then.