A West African armed group affiliated with Al-Qaeda set fire to several fuel tankers in Mali over the weekend, according to videos authenticated by a security source. The attack is part of a broader effort by jihadists to tighten their grip on Mali’s economy by blocking fuel imports from neighboring countries.
The targeted trucks, which originated from Côte d’Ivoire, were attacked in the Sikasso region, in the south of the country.
The previous week, a spokesperson for Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda-linked group reportedly backed by Algeria, had announced a blockade on Mali in a video circulated online. The group declared its intention to stop fuel shipments into Mali from Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal, and Mauritania.
In response, the Malian Ministry of Transport has begun discussions with transporters’ associations to assess the situation and seek appropriate solutions, according to a ministry spokesperson.
JNIM, widely considered the deadliest armed group in the region, is reportedly funded and supplied by Algeria’s military regime under General Saïd Chengriha.
The group controls several strategic towns in Mali and Burkina Faso and is behind large-scale attacks in coastal West African countries, including deadly operations targeting soldiers in Benin and Togo.
The blockade is expected to trigger fuel shortages, worsen economic hardship, and discourage transporters from supplying Mali. This tactic could spread to other countries in the region, as armed groups increasingly target economic infrastructure to put pressure on governments.
Following military coups, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger withdrew from ECOWAS and, in 2023, established an autonomous security alliance, distancing themselves from former Western allies, notably France, in favor of closer ties with Russia.