France has advised French nationals to temporarily leave Mali “as soon as possible” as an insurgent blockade disrupts daily life in the capital Bamako and other parts of West Africa.
Since September, the al-Qaeda-affiliated Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has been targeting fuel tankers through which the bulk of Mali’s imports pass, particularly those coming from Senegal and Ivory Coast.
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Mali has been ruled by a military junta since successive coups in 2020 and 2021 ended the French presence in the country, and has struggled to counter various armed groups, including JNIM.
“The security situation in Mali, including Bamako, has been deteriorating for several weeks,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a travel advisory issued on Friday.
“French nationals are advised to plan their temporary departure from Mali as soon as possible using commercial flights that are still available,” it said, adding: “Travel by land remains discouraged as the national highways are currently the target of attacks by terrorist groups.”
Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux said on Thursday that France was watching the deteriorating security situation in Mali “with great caution and genuine concern” but that the opening of the embassy “does not change” France’s diplomatic presence.
Last week, the US and UK announced the evacuation of “non-essential” personnel and their families due to the deteriorating situation.
France’s announcement came as Geneva-based shipping company MSC said it would suspend operations in Mali, citing fuel blockades and worsening security.
“Admit failure”
JNIM fighters have been enforcing a fuel blockade for weeks, paralyzing the landlocked Sahel economy.
This forced the government to close schools, disrupted harvests in some areas, and limited access to electricity.
Although JNIM has been besieging towns in other parts of the country for years, this is the first time it has used this tactic against the capital.
Earlier this week, President Assimi Goita called on people to play their part, especially by reducing non-essential travel, and pledged to “do everything possible to provide fuel.”
For Alioune Tin, a former UN independent expert on human rights in Mali, the leader’s statement was a “terrible confession of failure”.
The ruling military government had promised to stem the deteriorating security situation that has plagued the country for more than a decade.
It has severed ties with former Western military allies, including France, but has instead partnered with Russian militias to fight insurgents.
But Bakary Sambé of the Dakar-based Timbuktu Institute think tank told AFP news agency that “the Malian state no longer controls anything within its territory.”
Rather, he said, “they are concentrating their forces around Bamako in order to secure the government.”
And the public’s initial support for the junta “has begun to wane in the face of the junta’s failure to keep its security promises,” he added.
JNIM’s main objective is to seize and control territory and eliminate Western influence in the areas it controls. Some experts have suggested that JNIM may seek to take control of major capitals and eventually the entire country.
However, observers say the fall of Bamako is unlikely at this stage because JNIM lacks military and governance capabilities.
“While we do not believe JNIM has the capability or intent to occupy Bamako at this time, the threat it currently poses to the city is unprecedented,” said Charlie Werbe, an analyst at Aldebaran Threat Consultants.
JNIM is one of several armed groups operating in the Sahel region, a vast semi-arid desert region stretching from North Africa to West Africa, where large-scale attacks have been carried out and fighting has rapidly escalated.
The organization has killed thousands of people since 2017. Human rights groups have accused the organization of attacking civilians, particularly those believed to be supporting government forces.
