Mali launches airstrikes after militants block Fuel routes & attack gold mines
Army Bombards JNIM After Blockade Threatens to Cripple Bamako
Elohim Nyame 
Mali’s military has carried out airstrikes in the gold-rich Kayes region following escalating attacks by al-Qaeda-linked militants that threaten to choke off the country’s economy and isolate its capital, Bamako.
The insurgent group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has blocked fuel convoys bound for Bamako, restricted movement near the Senegalese and Mauritanian borders, and targeted factories and gold mines operated by international companies, including Barrick Gold and B2Gold. The blockade has disrupted trade flows and forced transport companies to suspend operations on key routes.
In a statement on Monday, Mali’s armed forces said they had rescued hostages during operations in the towns of Diema and Nioro, but acknowledged that major supply lines remain paralysed. The army described the airstrikes as part of an intensified campaign to dismantle militant strongholds and restore mobility across the western region.
Analysts warn that JNIM’s strategy appears designed to strangle economic activity, isolate urban centres, and undermine Mali’s transitional government. By cutting off fuel supplies and targeting the mining industry — which accounts for a large share of Mali’s foreign earnings — the militants are striking at both the daily lives of citizens and the state’s financial backbone.
The crisis adds to mounting pressure on the junta, which seized power in 2021 and has struggled to contain extremist groups despite closer ties with Russia and a break from long-standing security partnerships with France and Western allies.
Observers fear that if the blockade persists, fuel shortages could cripple Bamako and other cities, while attacks on gold operations may deter foreign investment in one of Mali’s most critical sectors.
