Islamist group tightens blockade on Mali capital Bamako

Bamako, Mali’s sprawling capital and a West African commercial centre of more than three million people, is facing a tightening siege as Islamist militants step up a partial blockade days after the defence minister was assassinated there.

“Our army isn’t capable of protecting us. How are we going to get back home?” a mother-of-two told the BBC after being unable to return to Bamako following a visit to her parents outside the city.

She was among dozens left stranded for nearly a day on the Bamako-Kéniéba highway, one of the key arteries leading out of the capital.

The disruption intensified after fighters from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) warned on Wednesday that “no one will be allowed in any more”.

Last year, Islamist groups choked off fuel supplies to Bamako, triggering shortages and driving prices sharply higher. Now they have escalated the pressure with a broader blockade, deepening anxiety among residents.

Witnesses told the BBC that at least three of the city’s six main access roads are being shut for hours at a time before militants move on. During the gaps, some vehicles are able to inch through.

The blockade comes after a coordinated wave of attacks last weekend by jihadists and separatist rebels in the north, including the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), in what appeared to be an effort to topple the military government of Gen Assimi Goïta, who took power in a 2020 coup.

Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in what appeared to be a suicide truck bombing at his home near Bamako during the assaults. AFP reported that he was buried on Thursday under heavy security, with thousands attending the funeral, including Goïta.

Mali’s military has been fighting the insurgents alongside Russia’s Africa Corps, the paramilitary force that emerged from the Wagner Group.

But the recent offensive forced Russian forces to pull back from Kidal in the north, now controlled by the FLA. The separatists say they intend to advance on other northern cities and have demanded the Africa Corps leave Mali entirely.

On Thursday, a Kremlin spokesperson said Russian forces would remain in Mali “to combat extremism, terrorism and other harmful phenomena and will continue to provide assistance to the current government”.

One lorry driver trying to reach Bamako described the scene as unlike anything he had seen in years on the road.

“I’ve never seen something like this before. I’ve been doing this job for so many years.

“I’m stuck here, and it sounds dangerous. I would rather run away to save my life than fight for the goods I have to deliver. I’ve never thought like this before.”

Elsewhere, Ségou, a town less than 80m (50 miles) from the capital, is under a full blockade, with hundreds of trucks, buses and cars caught in place.

A reporter in the town said passengers, including families and traders, have been stranded for days and are struggling to find water and food.

According to state media, Goïta pledged a forceful response after an emergency security council meeting on Wednesday, saying the armed forces and security services had inflicted “heavy losses” on the rebels.

Alain Antil, director of the Sub-Saharan Africa Centre at French foreign affairs think-tank Ifri, told the BBC that “those moves show that the regime is weak and can’t restore security.

The crisis carries echoes of 2013, when a similar alliance of jihadists and ethnic Tuareg separatists pushed towards Bamako before French troops and other African forces intervened to defend the capital.

Those forces drove the insurgents back, but attacks continued and instability remained entrenched. After taking power, Goïta expelled the French and turned instead to Russia for support, yet the security situation has only worsened, culminating in last weekend’s violence.

Several countries, including France, Canada and the United Kingdom, have advised their citizens to leave Mali, while the US has urged people to remain at home.

“I won’t leave,” one Frenchwoman told the BBC, “I love Mali”.

“It has become a part of me since I came here in 2002. We’ll stay with my family. We know things will be OK.”