Overview
- Bamako faces acute fuel shortages that have triggered long queues, school closures and extended power cuts, with no sign of relief.
- The UK and U.S. have urged their citizens to leave because of the unpredictable security situation, joining a drumbeat of embassy warnings.
- JNIM fighters are attacking tankers entering from Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, burning trucks and operating within roughly 50 km of the capital.
- Despite military escorts, truck drivers continue runs into Mali, reporting deadly ambushes and dozens of charred tankers along key southern routes.
- Security forces, including Russian mercenaries, have not stopped the campaign, and rights groups accuse the junta and its allies of abuses that complicate public support.