A well-armed jihadist group affiliated with al Qaeda is closing in on Bamako, the capital of Mali. The country’s military junta and their Russian partners are struggling to counter the jihadis, who now hold sway in many parts of the huge Sahelian country.
Fuel is running short in Bamako as militants belonging to a group called Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam al-Muslimin (JNIM) cut roads to the capital, attack military patrols and ambush tanker trucks.
As the situation deteriorates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany among others have urged their nationals to leave Bamako. On Thursday, the UK warned its citizens to “leave immediately by commercial flight if you judge it safe to do so,” while the US State Department cited the “unpredictability of Bamako’s security situation” in encouraging Americans to leave.
Video and images from the city in recent days show long lines of motorbikes and other vehicles queuing at gas stations. Some residents have accused the police of sequestering fuel supplies, according to local media. Schools and colleges closed because of the shortages.
Over the past two months, JNIM has stepped up attacks on fuel supplies, ambushing tankers on the roads from Ivory Coast and Senegal.
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