The United States Embassy in Mali has urged American citizens to “immediately leave” the West African nation, warning that a fuel blockade imposed by jihadists against the country’s junta is making daily life increasingly dangerous. The US Embassy said in its advisory that the ongoing armed conflict has made the security situation completely unpredictable.
The U.S. Embassy said: “Ongoing infrastructure problems in Mali, including continued outages in gasoline and diesel supplies, the closure of public institutions such as schools and universities across the country, and the ongoing armed conflict between the Malian government and terrorist elements around Bamako add to the unpredictability of the security situation in Bamako.”
All US citizens have been advised to leave the country immediately by commercial aviation.
“Bamako International Airport remains open and flights are available. US citizens should depart by commercial aviation as ground routes to neighboring countries may not be safe due to terrorist attacks along the nation’s highways,” it said.
For those who chose not to leave Mali, the US embassy asked them to “prepare contingency plans for any emergencies that may arise, including the need to shelter in place for an extended period of time.”
As for the planned trip to Mali, the embassy said they should avoid travel because the embassy itself is unable to provide emergency services or support to US citizens outside the capital.
Since September, al-Qaeda-linked fighters have been targeting fuel tankers, particularly those originating from Senegal and Ivory Coast, through which most of Mali’s imports are transported.
Jihadists from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, known by its Arabic acronym JNIM, appear to have recently sought to isolate the capital, Bamako, by increasing operations on surrounding roads.
For more than a decade, Mali has faced a deepening security crisis led by the violence of jihadists linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, along with criminal networks and armed gangs. The situation was complicated by coups in 2020 and 2021, which left the country under military rule as the junta continues to battle rebel groups.
