Malian authorities have implemented a significant restriction on the movement of motorcycles with engine capacities of 125 cm³ and greater across the country. This new decree, announced amidst a severely deteriorating security landscape, prohibits their circulation outside the capital, Bamako, and other major urban centers. The measure also extends to banning the importation and commercialization of these particular vehicles, a direct response to escalating jihadist attacks and the strategic blockading of key routes leading into the capital.
A new inter-ministerial order, broadcast on national television on Wednesday, June 3, confirms the nationwide prohibition on motorcycles with an engine capacity of “125 cm3 and more” from operating beyond the designated major urban zones. This decisive action comes as Mali grapples with an unprecedented security crisis, exacerbated by a persistent jihadist insurgency and recent blockades affecting Bamako.
Motorcycles are frequently utilized by jihadist factions for rapid movement across the Malian territory. The decree explicitly states: “The circulation of motorcycles with a cylinder capacity of 125 cm3 and above, outside of major urban areas, is suspended across the entire national territory.”
The “district of Bamako, regional capitals, circle capitals, and arrondissement capitals” remain exempt from this directive
The official document clarifies that specific administrative areas, including the “district of Bamako, regional capitals, circle capitals, and arrondissement capitals,” are not subject to this restriction. Furthermore, an additional communiqué from the authorities declared a halt to “the importation, transit, commercialization, sale, and gratuitous distribution of motorcycles with a cylinder capacity of 125cm3 and above, as well as their accessories (…) across the entire national territory.”
Mali has been facing a dire security situation, intensified by large-scale coordinated attacks on April 25 and 26. These assaults were carried out by jihadists affiliated with the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda ally, alongside the Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA), a predominantly Tuareg rebellion. Since April 30, these groups have also imposed blockades on several key roadways leading to the capital, Bamako.