According to AFP, the jihadists announced, via a video from one of their spokespersons, the closure of all access to Bamako. This declaration comes three days after unprecedented attacks carried out, alongside Tuareg rebels, against strategic positions of the ruling junta, further plunging the country into instability.
Mali is facing a particularly critical security situation since this series of coordinated attacks by the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (Jnim, affiliated with Al-Qaeda) and the independence rebellion of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). In a video, one of the Jnim spokespersons, Bina Diarra, announced the implementation of this blockade: “From this Tuesday, a blockade is imposed in Bamako on all axes”.
“Any person who violates this blockade by taking the road to Bamako or Kati will assume the consequences”
He then clarified: “The only measure of tolerance is granted to those who are already in Bamako to allow them to leave. However, it is now prohibited to go there until further notice. » The tone hardened further in the rest of his message: “Any person who violates this blockade by taking the road to Bamako or Kati will assume the consequences. Whether people or vehicles. No one will be spared. »
Three days after the attacks, the country remains plunged into uncertainty. According to a hospital source cited by AFP, at least 23 civilians and soldiers were killed. The head of the junta, Assimi Goïta, whose situation had remained unknown since Saturday, reappeared on Tuesday going to the bedside of the wounded, according to press releases and photos from the Malian presidency. For several months, the Jnim has already been imposing restrictions on fuel supplies in Bamako and other cities in the country, contributing to further weakening the Malian economy.
