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Vol 66 No 21

Published 24th October 2025


Mali

Jihadists tighten their stranglehold

With critical gold mines in the Kayes region already under threat, the militants are now targeting critical commercial axes

After assaulting the main western trade corridor to Bamako from Dakar last month, jihadist fighters have now extended their campaign to the key southern artery from Abidjan as they seek to halt the flow of imported fuel that keeps the Malian economy alive. This follows the insurgents blockading Kayes, Mali’s western gateway, and Nioro du Sahel on the border with Mauritania, the base of the Chérif of Nioro, Bouyé Haïdara, an influential Sufi leader in Mali and much of Mauritania. They also staged attacks on convoys of fuel trucks in Kayes and this month they have set tanker trucks on fire close to the Ivorian border.

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