Swiss-based shipping giant MSC has suspended all cargo bookings bound for Mali as the country grapples with a deepening security crisis and a crippling fuel shortage triggered by an extremist blockade.
The two-month siege, imposed by Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimin, an al Qaeda-linked coalition that has expanded its influence across the Sahel, has squeezed the landlocked nation’s supply routes so severely that fuel deliveries into Bamako have all but ground to a halt.
JNIM fighters have repeatedly targeted convoys attempting to bring fuel tankers into the capital, a tactic that analysts say is designed to weaken Mali’s military government and underline the group’s growing reach.
The blockade has compounded the country’s long-standing instability, which has escalated since the withdrawal of international peacekeepers and the breakdown of security cooperation with Western partners.
In a notice published on Thursday, MSC said operational conditions had become too dangerous to continue, citing safety concerns and the fuel shortage that has disrupted overland transport.
French operator CMA CGM reported similar difficulties, noting that transit times and costs had surged due to the worsening situation. After discussions with Mali’s transport ministry, however, the company reversed an earlier decision to suspend shipments.
The crisis has drawn alarm from foreign governments. France on Friday urged its citizens to leave Mali, joining the United States, Britain and Italy in issuing strong travel advisories.
The warnings highlight growing fears that the blockade could mark a turning point in the balance of power within the country, where economic hardship and insecurity have already pushed communities to breaking point.
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