Niger sends fuel convoy to Mali to ease supply woes

As Mali’s fuel crisis worsens, a convoy of 82 petrol tankers arrived in the capital over the weekend from neighbouring Niger.

Amid ongoing regional insecurity, it took 21 days to make the 1,400-kilometre journey from Niamey to Bamako.

A more than two-month-old fuel blockade by al Qaeda-linked militants has all but paralysed the city and increased pressure on the military junta.

Since early September, the jihadists have attacked multiple fuel convoys, disrupting transport routes, and intensifying scarcity.

Meanwhile, Russia has pledged to supply Mali with 160,000 to 200,000 metric tonnes of petroleum and agricultural products.

Its Africa Corps has reportedly provided support by escorting fuel tanker convoys to protect them from hijacking.

Niger and Mali together with Burkina Faso established the Alliance of Sahel States last year with all three facing a longstanding jihadist insurgency.

They cut ties with their former colonial power, France, left the West African political bloc ECOWAS, and have turned to Russia for help in fighting armed groups operating in the region.