Al-Qaida-linked Militants Burn Around 100 Fuel Tankers in Mali Blockade

Militants linked to al-Qaida have burned and destroyed roughly 100 fuel trucks bound for Mali's capital in recent days, trade and industry officials said, escalating a blockade that analysts warn could squeeze the fragile West African economy.

The Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, known as JNIM, announced a ban on fuel imports from neighboring countries about two weeks ago. An official with the National Council of Employers of Mali, citing a report from the Malian fuel association, said “around 100 tanker trucks have been set on fire over the past two weekends.” The attacks occurred near the city of Kayes, close to the border with Senegal.

Video footage that circulated online showed several fuel tankers burning and abandoned along the roadway. JNIM said in a video statement that it targeted truck drivers for disobeying its orders to halt fuel movements. The Malian army confirmed that its personnel came under a “terrorist attack” while escorting fuel trucks to the capital, Bamako, but provided no further details about casualties or material losses.

Fuel and transport operators said dozens of tanker crews are stranded at the Senegalese border and at other points within Mali, awaiting military escorts and improved security before continuing. "Usually there are more than 100 fuel tanker trucks entering Mali from Senegal every day. All this traffic has come to a standstill today," an importer, speaking on condition of anonymity for safety, told The Associated Press.

Mali's prime minister, Maj. Gen. Abdoulaye Maïga, described the episode on social media as a “regrettable event” and said in a separate post that "every time a son of the country dies on the battlefield, it is a drama," without addressing the blockade directly.

Analysts said the blockade is a strategic pressure tactic against the military junta that has governed Mali since a 2020 coup. Beverly Ochieng, an analyst at the Control Risks Group, said JNIM is using the fuel ban to compel commercial operators and residents to distance themselves from the military authorities, thereby undermining the government's legitimacy and authority.

Mali relies heavily on imported fuel to service households, businesses and public services in Bamako and other population centers. Industry sources warned that a prolonged disruption in imports could lead to acute shortages in the capital and drive up prices, compounding economic strains already facing the country.

The attacks mark a significant challenge to the junta's efforts to secure supply lines and project control beyond urban centers. Military escorts have been used to move critical goods, but the confirmed incidents near Kayes indicate militants remain capable of striking key transit routes that connect Mali with coastal neighbors. Authorities and industry groups have not provided an immediate timeline for when normal fuel flows might resume.