Overview
- The United States ordered non‑emergency embassy staff and families to depart, the UK withdrew non‑essential staff, and Italy, Germany, Canada and others urged citizens to leave.
- Al‑Qaida‑linked JNIM has targeted and torched fuel tankers since September on routes from Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, aiming to isolate the capital.
- Fuel scarcity has forced school closures, deepened power outages and choked transport and commerce in Bamako and beyond.
- Malian forces are escorting tanker convoys to enable limited resupply, even as ambushes near the capital have killed or kidnapped drivers and soldiers.
- Researchers say plausible next steps include a military push to break the blockade, a negotiated settlement or a slide into political chaos.