Jihadists in Mali have escalated their movements with a call to form a united front to overthrow the ruling military junta, coinciding with the closure of major roads towards the capital, Bamako. This call came after coordinated attacks targeting sites linked to the authority, with the “Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims” announcing its intention to impose a siege on the entrances to the city.
Published on: 01/05/2026 - 04:36 Last updated: 01/05/2026 - 11:03
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Jihadists in Mali called for the formation of a united front to overthrow the military junta that has ruled the country since 2020, and at the same time began closing the roads leading to the capital, Bamako.
This call came after coordinated and unprecedented attacks targeting sites linked to the military junta, carried out by fighters from the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, along with rebels from the Front for the Liberation of Azawad.
The group announced earlier this week its intention to impose a blockade on the roads to Bamako, threatening to take harsh measures against anyone who uses the roads leading to the capital or to the nearby town of Kati, which is a stronghold of the military junta.
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The Nigerien government announced Thursday that the unified anti-jihadist force in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali launched “intensive air campaigns” in northern Mali, following the recent attacks.
Earlier Thursday, the Malian authorities held a ceremony honoring Defense Minister Sadio Camara, who was killed in a rebel attack on his residence last weekend, in the presence of thousands of people, led by the head of the ruling military junta, Assimi Goita.
The ceremony took place in the Military Engineering Battalion in Bamako amid heavy security deployment, according to what journalists from Agence France-Presse reported.
A truck driver from the border town of Kurimali said: “We have been stuck here since yesterday (Wednesday). There are at least a hundred vehicles parked.”
Several sources reported violent accidents on the road leading to Sikasso, a vital axis linking Mali to Ivorian ports, including Abidjan, while a security source indicated that a number of drivers were killed, but it was not possible to verify the authenticity of this information.
Late last year, the "Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims" attempted to paralyze the financial economy by imposing a blockade on fuel supplies transported by trucks from Ivory Coast and Senegal.
France 24/AFP
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