Mali: Jihadist attack on fuel convoy kills 15

At least 15 people have been confirmed dead following an attack by jihadist fighters on a fuel tanker convoy in Mali, as reported by Africa News via AP on February 2nd.

The incident occurred on January 29th in the Western region of Kayes, on a road leading to the Senegalese border. Local officials said that dozens of tankers were set ablaze and destroyed.

It was reported on January 31st that several people were killed in the ambush, with more recent reports placing the death toll at 15; initial reports indicated that at least three soldiers and two civilians were among the dead, while several soldiers escorting the convoy were missing.

The al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed it ambushed Malian forces in Kayes, but did not mention attacking tankers; local authorities have accused jihadists of perpetrating the incident.

Since September 2025, Mali has been under a fuel blockade imposed by JNIM, which has sought to destabilise the military junta government and incite civilian unrest.

Jihadist fighters have exploited Mali’s vulnerability as a landlocked nation that is heavily reliant on fuel imports from neighbouring fuel-producing countries to block all fuel imports from entering the country.

Key supply routes have been targeted, while roadblocks were established around the capital, Bamako. The blockade was highly effective at bringing Mali to a standstill, where people were forced to scavenge for fuel, and the economy was crippled as jihadists seized commercial transport and destroyed fuel tankers.

The fuel shortages have been eased through the import of 54 million litres of petroleum products in January, with neighbouring Niger being a key fuel supplier to Mali.

Along with attacking fuel tanker convoys, even when being escorted by the Malian military, JNIM fighters have also kidnapped foreign nationals for ransom payments, which they describe as “economic jihad.”

JNIM uses the ransom payments to acquire weapons, pay fighters and fund its operations that aim to topple the junta, which was established in 2020 following a military coup, and impose an Islamic State in Africa, which would operate under Sharia Law.

In recent years, the Sahel region has become a global epicentre for Islamist terrorism, with countries like Mali, Niger and Cameroon reportedly accounting for over 50% of terrorism-related deaths.

Africa News via AP, Maghrebi.org