Mali carries out airstrikes after militants announce blockade on fuel imports

9/9/2025 6:27

Mali's military said it had carried out airstrikes in the gold-rich western region of Kayes after al Qaeda-linked militants took steps to impose a blockade on fuel imports to the landlocked West African country's capital, Bamako.



The operations are the latest attempt by Mali's military rulers, who took power after coups in 2020 and 2021, to ease growing pressure from militant groups who analysts say are trying to encircle cities and towns in the Sahel region.



A spokesperson for Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) on Thursday announced the blockade and said it would also restrict the movements of residents of the western towns of Kayes and Nioro, near the border with Senegal and Mauritania.



Since the announcement, militants have stopped and emptied fuel trucks in the area, a Nioro resident told Reuters.