France has issued an urgent advisory for its citizens in Mali to leave the country immediately, as Islamist insurgents tighten a two-month fuel blockade that has crippled daily life and heightened insecurity.
The French Foreign Ministry urged its nationals to depart via commercial flights while still available and to avoid any overland routes due to escalating militant activity.
The blockade, imposed by the al-Qaeda-affiliated group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has disrupted the transport of fuel into the landlocked nation by attacking tankers on key highways from Senegal and Ivory Coast, Mali’s main supply routes.
The fuel shortage has led to power outages, transportation breakdowns, and rising food prices, worsening the humanitarian situation across the country.
Adding to the crisis, MSC, the world’s largest shipping company, announced it was suspending operations in Mali due to the blockade and deteriorating security conditions.
Last month, the US Embassy in Bamako also pulled out non-essential staff and their families, warning that the fuel disruptions could “destabilize the security situation in unpredictable ways.”
Mali, under the leadership of General Assimi Goïta, has been governed by a military junta since 2020. Despite promises to restore order, large parts of the north and east remain under jihadist control.
Following the junta’s rise to power, both French troops and the UN peacekeeping mission withdrew from Mali. The government has since turned to Russian mercenaries for security support, but attacks by jihadist groups have persisted, leaving civilians increasingly vulnerable.