Mali’s military has stepped up security efforts in the southwest of the country following a series of attacks by al-Qaida-linked militants on fuel trucks along a key trade corridor. State media reported Wednesday that army units escorted 40 buses carrying civilians through Torodo, a region previously less affected by insurgent violence.
In addition to the buses, more than 30 tankers, lorries, and other vehicles arriving from Senegal received military protection earlier this week.
The move comes after militants affiliated with Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) torched and destroyed around 100 fuel trucks on route to the capital, Bamako, according to a local trade union. Two weeks ago, JNIM declared a ban on fuel imports from neighboring countries a development analysts warn could severely destabilize Mali’s already fragile economy and undermine the military junta’s authority.
“This shift in attacks to the south is significant,” said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel Program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. “The army now has to divert resources to a region that was previously more secure. That may be exactly what the jihadists are aiming for.”
Laessing added that the unpredictability of the attacks is creating widespread fear: “It’s a psychological tactic. People never know when or where they’ll strike next.”
