General Assimi Goita addresses Mali’s worsening fuel crisis caused by an al-Qaeda-linked blockade crippling supplies and endangering lives.

Mali’s military leader, General Assimi Goita, has publicly addressed the country’s deepening fuel crisis for the first time, as a jihadi blockade continues to cripple the supply of fuel and threaten lives.

Speaking on Monday during a visit to the southern region of Bougouni to inaugurate a lithium mine, Goita described the human toll of the blockade. “During the escort of the fuel tanker convoy, people are dying; there are ambushes on the roads and tankers are catching fire with people inside them, who are burning to death,” he said.

The blockade was imposed by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), a group linked to al-Qaeda, which announced in early September a ban on fuel imports from neighbouring countries into Mali. The move followed government restrictions earlier this year aimed at cutting fuel supplies to remote areas to weaken the militants’ operations.

Until now, Malian authorities have said little publicly about the blockade, which has left hundreds of trucks stranded at the borders and squeezed the country’s already fragile economy.

The military has been escorting convoys of fuel tankers from border areas to Bamako while carrying out airstrikes on JNIM positions. However, militants have continued to target the convoys, resulting in deadly attacks and fires.

In his remarks, Goita urged citizens to help ease the situation by cutting down on travel. “We must all reduce the number of journeys we make,” he said.

In Bamako, long queues have formed at petrol stations, with residents camping overnight in hopes of getting fuel. The government has closed schools, some embassies have advised citizens to evacuate, and power outages have become widespread.

The blockade has dealt a serious blow to Mali’s military junta, which depends heavily on fuel imports from neighbouring Senegal and the Ivory Coast.

JNIM remains one of the most active armed groups in the Sahel region, where an expanding insurgency has led to a surge in violence and instability across several West African nations. (ARISE NEWS)