Overview
- Al‑Qaeda‑linked JNIM has enforced a de facto fuel embargo since September by attacking key road corridors and burning tankers from Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, effectively isolating the capital.
- Bamako faces acute shortages with school closures, frequent electricity cuts and surging prices as limited fuel deliveries fail to sustain basic services.
- In central Mali’s Léré, a tightened siege triggered an exodus toward Mauritania, with UNHCR reporting 2,000 to 3,000 refugees and local sources citing 12 civilians killed in a recent attack.
- France has urged its nationals to leave Mali temporarily and UN agencies have activated contingency aid at the Mauritanian border as conditions deteriorate.
- Observers say the junta and its Russian partners, including Wagner/Africa Corps, have failed to halt JNIM’s advance, while the group sustains operations through taxation and kidnappings, including a reported $50 million ransom payout.