Fuel Blockade Causes Crisis in Mali's Capital Amid Jihadist Attacks

Long queues have been snaking around petrol stations in Mali's capital a month after militants from an al-Qaeda affiliate imposed a fuel blockade by attacking tankers on major highways.

Our business is at a standstill, one motorbike taxi driver told the BBC, as many others pushed their vehicles to join the petrol lines amidst chaotic scenes in Bamako.

Some of the garages forced to shut last week, paralysing the city, have now reopened after more than 300 petrol tankers arrived under army escort from Ivory Coast. The military government has assured residents it is only a temporary issue, but there are fears the new stock will quickly run out, as others complain about price hikes.

Other cities and areas have also been suffering from such shortages, power cuts, and fuel inflation for several weeks. My business is dying, a vendor in the central town of Mopti told the AFP news agency about her problems keeping fish refrigerated. Mali is landlocked, so all fuel supplies are brought into the country by road from neighbours such as Senegal and Ivory Coast.

The junta had popular support when it seized power five years ago, promising to deal with the long-running security crisis prompted by a separatist rebellion in the north by ethnic Tuaregs, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants.

But the jihadist insurgency has continued, and has made much of the north and east of the country ungovernable. The latest blockade by al-Qaeda linked Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has seen lorries ambushed, some set alight and drivers kidnapped, pointing to the geographic expansion of its insurgency as its fighters target highways linking Mali to its neighbours to the west and south.

Images widely shared on social media highlight the rowdy lines at petrol stations in Bamako, with people waiting for hours. Those caught up in the queues spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity. I had to push my motorcycle from Djikoroni to Badalabougou, about 9km (nearly six miles) away, without fuel, said one rider.

Community radio station Nostalgie reported that fuel prices in parts of Bamako have increased by more than 200%. Following a crisis meeting chaired by Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maïga, the deputy director general of commerce said that an action plan had been adopted to send teams out to ensure state-capped prices were adhered to at garages.

According to French public broadcaster Radio France Internationale (RFI), Malian officials are in discreet talks with the militants to lift the blockade.