Over a dozen road transport companies have suspended their services to and from Bamako as jihadist groups impose a crippling road blockade on Mali’s capital, torching vehicles along key routes.
The Mali government faces mounting pressure following coordinated attacks on April 25–26 by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, and the predominantly Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). These assaults targeted strategic positions held by the ruling junta.
Bamako isolated by jihadist roadblock
Since April 30, jihadists have enforced a de facto blockade on Bamako, severing critical road arteries that supply the landlocked nation’s sole lifeline—imports transported by road. The capital, heavily dependent on these goods, now faces severe shortages.
« We’ve halted operations to safeguard passengers and minimize losses, » a transport agency manager told AFP on Monday. The agency reported losing six buses in attacks on Saturday along the Ségou route (central Mali).
More than ten transport firms have officially suspended services, though others have quietly ceased operations « out of fear of government retaliation for continuing, » the manager explained under anonymity. While major carriers have abandoned six primary routes into Bamako, smaller minibuses still infiltrate the city via alternate paths.
fuel, electricity, and water shortages grip the capital
Bamako’s residents are grappling with the blockade’s fallout. Long queues formed at gas stations on Monday as diesel supplies dwindled, with authorities claiming 700+ fuel tankers entered via the Côte d’Ivoire corridor over the weekend. Jihadists have also torched multiple cargo convoys and passenger buses in recent days.
Electricity disruptions have intensified, with one resident recounting to AFP a three-day blackout before intermittent service resumed. Énergie du Mali (EDM) attributed the outages to « an incident, » though an anonymous EDM official later linked the sabotage to « terrorists » targeting the power grid.
« Water supply disruptions » are also plaguing several Bamako districts due to load shedding, the Malian Water Board announced Sunday.
