Fri Nov 07 21:36:55 UTC 2025: ## Mali Grapples with Fuel Crisis as Al-Qaeda-Linked Group Tightens Grip
Bamako, Mali – Mali is facing a severe fuel shortage and deteriorating security situation after an al-Qaeda-linked group, Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), intensified its blockade on fuel deliveries entering the country. The disruption has led to school closures, power outages, and widespread economic paralysis, prompting France to advise its citizens to leave Mali “as soon as possible.”
JNIM has been targeting fuel tankers, primarily those coming from Senegal and Ivory Coast, since September, disrupting the supply chain for the landlocked nation. This marks the first time the group has employed such tactics against the capital, Bamako, despite having a long history of laying siege to towns in other regions.
The ongoing crisis is a significant challenge for Mali’s military government, which seized power in back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021. The government, which has severed ties with traditional Western allies like France and turned to Russian paramilitaries for security assistance, is struggling to counter the growing influence of JNIM and other armed groups.
President Assimi Goita has called on citizens to conserve fuel and promised to address the crisis, but experts and analysts are increasingly critical of the government’s handling of the situation. Some observers claim the state no longer controls its territory and is focusing its resources on securing the capital.
The fuel blockade is exacerbating existing economic hardship and eroding public support for the military regime, which had initially promised to improve security.
JNIM’s actions are part of a broader strategy to expand its territorial control and expel Western influence from the region. While experts believe that JNIM is unlikely to capture Bamako in the short term due to a lack of resources, the group’s unprecedented threat to the capital highlights the deteriorating security landscape in Mali and the wider Sahel region.
The United States and Britain have also announced the evacuation of nonessential personnel due to the growing insecurity. The shipping group MSC has halted operations in Mali due to the fuel blockade and deteriorating security.
The situation in Mali remains volatile, with the fuel crisis and the growing influence of armed groups posing significant challenges to the country’s stability and its citizens’ well-being.
First Piper 