In Mali, the jihadist group JNIM, affiliated with al-Qaeda, has escalated its blockade strategy to an unprecedented level. Over the weekend, at least ten buses were set ablaze along the Ségou-Bamako highway, a vital supply route connecting the capital to the country’s eastern regions. Simultaneously, critical infrastructure linked to the Manantali hydroelectric dam in the Kayes region was deliberately targeted and destroyed. While Malian forces continue their military operations across multiple fronts, they have yet to break the economic stranglehold gripping the nation.
Manantali dam: a strategic target in a war of attrition
The assault on Manantali’s facilities is far from incidental. The dam, managed collaboratively by Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal under the Organisation for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS), serves as a linchpin of Mali’s electrical grid. By sabotaging its transmission lines, JNIM is no longer merely confronting defense and security forces—it is striking at the heart of urban economic vitality, where power outages immediately paralyze public services, businesses, and industries.
This campaign follows weeks of systematic attacks on fuel convoys entering Mali from Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. The jihadists aim to weaponize fuel shortages, betting on eroding public confidence in the transitional government led by General Assimi Goïta. Bamako, once relatively insulated from the worst of the conflict, now finds itself at the epicenter of this grinding battle.
Military response and fragile supply resurgence
The Malian armed forces have responded with intensified ground and aerial operations across several regions. In recent days, military escorts have facilitated the entry of hundreds of fuel tankers into Bamako, temporarily easing the pressure on gas stations under siege. Yet this logistical reprieve remains precarious: each convoy demands substantial resources, and the long-term security of national highways appears increasingly unattainable.
Malian forces face a dual threat. In the west and central zones, JNIM has intensified ambushes and infrastructure sabotage. Meanwhile, tensions remain frozen in the north, particularly in the Kidal region, where renewed clashes with rebel factions of the Permanent Strategic Framework seem inevitable. Bamako is thus forced to navigate two distinct battlefields with dwindling human and material resources.
Regional tensions escalate amid Mali’s crisis
The blockade’s ripple effects extend far beyond Mali’s borders. Neighboring economies, including those of Senegal, Mauritania, and Côte d’Ivoire, are increasingly alarmed by the degradation of West African trade corridors. The slowdown in goods movement is straining ports in Dakar and Abidjan, where a significant share of inland-bound traffic originates. The Sahel States Confederation, comprising Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, has yet to forge a unified response to the jihadist-led economic warfare.
The Manantali attack also raises urgent questions about shared infrastructure within the OMVS framework. Further damage to the dam could directly disrupt electricity supplies to Senegal and Mauritania, transforming a localized crisis into a regional emergency. External partners, from development lenders to military suppliers, must now weigh their support for Bamako’s sovereignty against the imperative of protecting critical transboundary assets.
On the ground, the gap between the army’s operational gains and the reality of a capital under siege underscores the conflict’s evolving nature. JNIM is no longer content with territorial control—it seeks to asphyxiate a nation. Renewed fighting is anticipated in the coming days, particularly around Kidal, where tensions remain dangerously high.
