Mali: Sabotage plunges Bamako into water and power crisis

Large parts of Mali's capital have been left without electricity and running water after suspected sabotage damaged a key power transmission line. The disruption has deepened hardship for residents as insecurity and jihadist attacks continue to strain the country's fragile infrastructure.

Bamako has endured widespread electricity and water outages for two days after suspected sabotage disrupted a major power transmission line supplying the city, according to utility officials.

State-owned electricity provider Energie du Mali (EDM) said an incident on the transmission network had severely affected power supply across several districts but did not identify the cause.

A senior official at the Malian water utility SOMAGEP later told AFP that the disruption resulted from sabotage on the high-voltage line linking Bamako to the Manantali Dam, located on the Mali-Mauritania-Senegal border. The official said the perpetrators had not been identified.

Residents struggle for basic necessities

The power cuts have also halted water distribution, forcing thousands of residents to rely on solar-powered boreholes and neighbourhood wells.

Long queues formed before dawn as families searched for enough water to meet their daily needs.

"We are living in another world," said Oumar Toure, a teacher from Bamako's Badalabougou district. "No fans, no fridge, and above all, not a drop of water from the tap for over 24 hours. It's unbearable."

Fatoumata Diallo, a mother of four living on the outskirts of the capital, said her family began searching for water at 4 a.m. but supplies at local drilling stations were already running low.

Security crisis fuels instability

The infrastructure disruption comes as the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has intensified pressure on routes leading into Bamako.

For months, the jihadist group has imposed blockades on major roads and set fire to buses, cargo trucks and fuel tankers in an apparent effort to weaken the country's economy and disrupt supply chains.

Although no group has claimed responsibility for the latest sabotage, the incident highlights the vulnerability of critical infrastructure amid Mali's worsening security environment.

Years of conflict take their toll

Mali has faced a deepening security crisis since 2012, with violence involving jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, separatist movements and criminal armed groups.

The latest outages underscore how the country's prolonged conflict is increasingly affecting essential public services, leaving residents to cope with repeated disruptions to electricity, water supplies and daily life.