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Mali is facing mounting pressure after al-Qaeda-linked militants launched a blockade on key trade routes to Senegal and Mauritania, torching trucks, abducting drivers, and imposing illegal “taxes” on goods. The siege, centered in the Kayes and Nioro-du-Sahel regions, threatens to strangle supplies of food, fuel, and manufactured goods, with fuel prices in Bamako already rising by 10%. While the Malian army insists the crisis is exaggerated, residents report worsening insecurity and suspended transport services. Analysts warn the blockade signals a strategic shift by militants from battlefield combat to economic warfare, with the goal of “asphyxiating” Bamako. The crisis underscores Mali’s fragile security situation and raises fears of militant influence spilling into neighboring West African states.
BBC