Starting from the 4th of November, JNIM, the al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist group, has intensified attacks near Bamako, targeting army convoys and blocking some of the main fuel supply routes. These developments not only signal further and growing jihadist destabilization in the Sahel region, but outline an escalation that could culminate, according to some analyses, in the collapse of government control over the capital. In areas under its control, JNIM is already applying dress codes and punishments through tribunals that, as observed by Human Rights Watch in 2024, do not respect fair trial standards.
JNIM is exerting pressure on the military government in power through a strategy of economic warfare and terrorist tactics against the population. For over two months, Mali— whose economy, due to the lack of a sea outlet, depends on overland imports—has been grappling with fuel shortages caused by the blockade imposed by JNIM on trucks coming from neighboring states. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project, by mid-September, more than a hundred trucks had been attacked, and half of them burned.
In many areas of the capital, electricity is lacking, and lines of people in front of gas stations have become the norm, causing major disruptions in travel. Due to difficulties in moving with public transport, many citizens are confined to their homes, unable to reach shops or supermarkets, which are consequently remaining closed, while food prices continue to rise exorbitantly due to increasing transport costs. In the meantime, schools have been closed until November 9.
