Al-Qaeda-linked militants have intensified their economic blockade in Mali, targeting the country’s vital trade and export routes in a campaign aimed at strangling the government in Bamako. The blockade, enforced by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), threatens both the import of essential goods and the export of gold, a cornerstone of Mali’s fragile economy.
According to Malian media, JNIM fighters have disrupted highways in the Kayes and Nioro-du-Sahel regions, which serve as critical corridors for transporting fuel, food, and manufactured products. These routes also connect Mali to Senegal and Mauritania, leaving the landlocked nation increasingly isolated.
The Kayes region is particularly significant as it accounts for roughly 80% of Mali’s gold production, which provides the country with much-needed foreign exchange. By cutting off gold export routes, militants are attempting to choke government revenue and destabilize Bamako’s ability to govern.
The blockade follows the abduction of six Senegalese truck drivers earlier this month, which JNIM publicly cited as a warning to the Malian authorities. Although the military has responded with airstrikes, it has been unable to secure lasting control of the affected regions or reopen trade links with neighboring countries.
JNIM, which has waged insurgency in Mali since 2012 as part of the broader Sahel conflict, appears to be shifting strategy from seizing and holding territory to deliberately targeting Mali’s economy. Local media reports suggest that businesses in the blockaded regions have collapsed, while shortages of fuel and goods are beginning to ripple across the country.
Despite military assistance from Russia, Mali’s government has struggled to contain the escalating crisis. Moscow has accused Ukrainian intelligence of supporting the militants, a claim Kiev has denied.
Meanwhile, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) — comprising Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger — has been considering legal action at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against France and Ukraine. The bloc alleges that both countries have supported or facilitated militant activity in the Sahel, particularly after French forces were expelled from the region following a series of coups between 2020 and 2023.