This country could become the world’s first to be run by al-Qaeda, know what is happening there

Armed militants of the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaat Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) have blocked major fuel transportation routes across Mali, cutting off fuel supplies to the capital Bamako and other key regions. The move deepened the country’s crisis and sparked global alarm over the group’s rapid territorial gains.

Over the past few weeks, JNIM fighters have intensified their attacks, including ambushing army-backed convoys as they approach Bamako. Security experts warn that if the city falls, Mali could become the first country under the full control of what the United States has designated a terrorist organization and is governed by strict sharia law.

The group’s rise mirrors the advance of Islamist regimes in Afghanistan and Syria, but the capture of Bamako would mark an unprecedented turning point for militants with direct links to Al Qaeda.

The United States issued an urgent advisory this week, urging all American citizens in Mali to leave immediately due to the deteriorating security and infrastructure situation. Similar warnings have since been issued by Australia, Germany and Italy; Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised its citizens to leave the country “as soon as possible”.

Mali, a landlocked West African country bordering Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal and Mauritania, has been struggling with increasing instability since September. JNIM declared a fuel blockade on September 3 in response to military government restrictions on fuel sales in rural areas. The blockade severely affected towns such as Kayes and Nioro near the Senegalese border, and convoys trying to reach Bamako were repeatedly targeted.