US EditionJihadi Fighters Affiliated with Al Qaeda Close in on Mali’s Capital, as Instability Grows Across Sahel Region
JNIM's blockade since September 2025 has cut vital trade routes and caused severe humanitarian impacts, exposing weaknesses in Mali's military response and governance.
- Recently, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin imposed a blockade that cut southern Mali off from essential supplies and trade routes linking Mali to Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire.
- Relying on local recruitment, JNIM operates as a decentralised network of semi-autonomous cells that exploit local grievances and Malian state weaknesses to adapt rapidly without overstretching resources.
- Using motorcycles and small arms, JNIM fighters exploit southern Mali terrain’s narrow roads, bush paths and seasonal rivers to execute rapid strikes and hinder mechanised military movement.
- Mali suspended schools and universities recently due to fuel scarcity from the blockade, which isolates communities in southern Mali by blocking vital trade and fuel arteries.
- The Malian army is ill-equipped and overstretched against asymmetric tactics, limiting blockade response; ACLED reports a 38% rise in violence in 2023, and Human Rights Watch recorded 478 civilian deaths in 2024.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Jihadi fighters affiliated with al Qaeda close in on Mali’s capital, as instability grows across Sahel region
A well-armed jihadist group affiliated with al Qaeda is closing in on Bamako, the capital of Mali. The country’s military junta and their Russian partners are struggling to counter the jihadis, who now hold sway in many parts of the huge Sahelian country.
wjr.com
Al-Qaida Poised to Take Over Mali, First Country for Militants
Mali faces mounting pressure from al-Qaida-linked militants as the U.S.-designated terrorist group tightens its grip on supply routes leading to the capital, Bamako, according to the Wall Street Journal. The U.S. this week urged its citizens to leave Mali immediately due to "persistent infrastructure challenges," including disruptions in fuel supplies, closure of schools and universities nationwide, and ongoing armed conflict between the Malian …
Mali Is Falling to Al Qaida as the World Grows More Dangerous
Al Qaida militants have blocked fuel entry to cities and are closing in on Bamako, raising fears it could become the first country ruled by the terror group in its nearly four-decade history. Although, Syria and Gaza, not yet a country, are ruled by terrorists. Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, has spent […] The post Mali Is Falling to Al Qaida as the World Grows More Dangerous appeared first on www.independents…
Mali: Bamako Under Siege - Why Mali's Army Is Struggling to Break the Jihadist Blockade of the Capital
Analysis - When the military overthrew the democratically elected government in Mali in 2020, coup leader General Assimi Goita promised to root out jihadists in the north of the country. Mali had been struggling to defeat them for nearly a decade.
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