People line up with their motorcycles at a gas station amid a fuel shortage in Bamako, Mali, on Tuesday.The Associated Press
Heavily armed soldiers have escorted a fuel convoy into Mali’s capital, Bamako, in the first breach of a tightening blockade by Islamist rebels who have attacked and torched dozens of tanker trucks across the West African country.
Motorcyclists cheered and raised their fists in celebration as they welcomed the arrival of more than 250 fuel tankers in the convoy from neighbouring Ivory Coast, according to videos posted by local television stations and social media accounts.
The city has suffered for the past week from the blockade, which has caused serious fuel shortages, soaring prices, lengthy queues at gas stations and other economic damage. The Islamist militias imposed the blockade on fuel imports last month to put pressure on Mali’s military junta, which has struggled to contain the insurgency.
A tightening blockade
Islamists are blocking fuel tankers on the roads to Mali’s
capital and other cities.
Routes affected by
Islamist blockades
and attacks
MAURITANIA
Nouakchott
Attacks on tankers
and vehicles
Nioro
SENEGAL
Diéma
Dakar
Farabougou
Kayes
MALI
Bamako
Kedougou
Sikasso
GUINEA
Zégoua
CÔTE D'IVOIRE
300 km
the globe and mail, Source: institute for security studies
A tightening blockade
Islamists are blocking fuel tankers on the roads to Mali’s
capital and other cities.
Routes affected by
Islamist blockades
and attacks
MAURITANIA
Nouakchott
Attacks on tankers
and vehicles
Nioro
SENEGAL
Diéma
Dakar
Farabougou
Kayes
MALI
Bamako
Kedougou
Sikasso
GUINEA
Zégoua
CÔTE D'IVOIRE
300 km
the globe and mail, Source: institute for security studies
A tightening blockade
Islamists are blocking fuel tankers on the roads to Mali’s capital and other cities.
Routes affected by
Islamist blockades
and attacks
MAURITANIA
Nouakchott
Attacks on tankers
and vehicles
Nioro
SENEGAL
Diéma
Dakar
Farabougou
Kayes
MALI
Bamako
Kedougou
Sikasso
GUINEA
Zégoua
CÔTE D'IVOIRE
300 km
the globe and mail, Source: institute for security studies
The rebels, affiliated with al-Qaeda, launched their offensive in the remote deserts of northern Mali more than a decade ago. Later they moved into the centre of the country and now are increasingly active in the heavily populated south, including areas near the capital.
The military regime, which seized power in coups in 2021 and 2022, has recruited thousands of Russian soldiers to reinforce its army, but has failed to quell the increasingly powerful rebel forces. Its allied regimes in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, which also took power in coups, have faced growing pressure from the same Islamist groups.
At least 40 fuel tankers were set ablaze last month when Islamist militants ambushed a convoy of more than 100 vehicles heading from Senegal to Bamako, even though the convoy was defended by a military escort. Since then, no convoys have entered the country from Senegal, one of the key sources of Mali’s imports.
“If the fuel shortage in some areas persists, it could trigger social and political unrest, destabilizing Mali’s transitional authorities,” said Hassane Koné, a senior researcher at the Africa-based Institute for Security Studies, in a report this week.
Sahelian militant Islamist-linked fatalaties
By country
Niger
Mali
Burkina Faso
Benin
Togo
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
the globe and mail, Source: africacenter.org
Sahelian militant Islamist-linked fatalaties
By country
Niger
Mali
Burkina Faso
Benin
Togo
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
the globe and mail, Source: africacenter.org
Sahelian militant Islamist-linked fatalaties
By country
Niger
Mali
Burkina Faso
Benin
Togo
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
the globe and mail, Source: africacenter.org
Several Canadian mining companies, including Barrick Mining Corp. and B2Gold Corp., are among Mali’s biggest private investors. B2Gold senior vice-president Randall Chatwin said the company has not suffered any disruptions in its fuel supply chain so far.
“We are certainly aware of the issues relating to fuel shortages in Mali, both in Bamako and at some industrial operations, including mines,” Mr. Chatwin told The Globe and Mail. “We are continuously working with our fuel supply partners to ensure the ongoing fuel deliveries remain on schedule.”
Last week, because of the blockade, Mali’s military halted about 70 fuel trucks that were heading to the Sadiola mine, owned by Toronto-based Allied Gold, according to Reuters. Fuel supplies were dwindling at the gold mine, about 650 kilometres from Bamako, the report said.
The Islamist rebel coalition, known as Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), “now exerts much more influence and control over territory in Mali than at any other previous time during the 13-year insurgency,” the U.S.-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies said in a report last week.
“It can now strike anywhere in southern Mali with relative ease, something that was not the case two years ago,” the report said.
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Barrick takes $1-billion writedown on Mali operations as government dispute drags on
Islamist militant violence in western and southern Mali has doubled over the past year as the insurgents have expanded their reach and threatened the capital, it said.
“By targeting Mali’s main overland trade routes, the attacks represent an explicit economic strategy to cut off and isolate Bamako. The disruptions to transport and commerce raise the risk of severe fuel shortages that could paralyze businesses and other economic activity.”
The blockade is hurting not only motorists but also many other sectors and businesses, which often rely on generators for their electricity supply. Some towns in Mali have endured power outages, food shortages, paralyzed transportation and hospital disruptions, according to local reports.
Many fuel stations have shut down. Other retailers have faced punishment or arrest by the authorities for raising their prices. At some stations, hundreds of motorists have queued from dawn in an attempt to buy fuel, often without success. At others, scores of people have lined up on foot with containers to buy small amounts of fuel.
A major Malian transportation company, Diarra Transport, has halted its activities for the past month after it was threatened by the insurgents. Its general director, Neh Diarra, issued an apology for the disruption this week, saying that the shutdown had affected thousands of people, including employees who could not receive their salary.
-/AFP/Getty Images