Mali: Suspected sabotage leads to water and power crisis
Mali’s internal strife has intensified amid reports of suspected sabotage that has caused a water and power crisis in Bamako, according to Africa News via AFP on July 7th.
Large parts of Bamako have experienced water and power outages since July 5th; the state-owned electricity provider, Energie du Mali (EDM), said the incident on the transmission network had severely affected supplies.
According to an official at SOMAGEP, a water utility company, the disruption is linked to the sabotage of a high-voltage line linking Bamako to the Manantali Dam, which is situated on the Mali-Mauritania-Senegal border.
Following the latest sabotage, Bamako residents are forced to rely on neighbourhood wells and solar-powered boreholes for water.
Electrical infrastructure linked to the dam was previously destroyed on May 9th; militants from the al-Qaeda-affiliated JNIM were reportedly behind this attack.
It is currently unclear if jihadists were behind the current disruption; however, JNIM have intensified pressure on routes leading to Bamako.
JNIM is behind the fuel blockade Mali has experienced since September 2025; this ongoing blockade has exacerbated the effects of the latest water and power outages.
On April 28th, JNIM announced a renewed blockade on Bamako; this announcement came within days of coordinated attacks by JNIM and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) on April 25th.
FLA rebels recaptured Kidal on April 25th; the attacks led the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA) and Russian African Corps to increase operations across northern and central Mali.
JNIM and FLA rebels launched a new wave of attacks against military installations on July 4th; locations affected included Niono, Molodo, Sandaré, Nioro du Sahel, Diboli, Gogui and Kayes.
On July 4th, FLA spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane announced a new offensive to capture Kidal’s Anefis.
Malian authorities have rejected claims that FLA rebels control Anefis and insist the town remains under government control.
Kidal’s Tessalit camps have been controlled by JNIM and the FLA since May 1st, after being deserted by Russian forces; however, troops remain present at the Anefis and Aguelhoc camps.
FLA fighters claim to be holding over 200 FAMA troops captive as “prisoners of war” in Kidal since April 25th.
It remains unclear if Mali’s junta has initiated negotiations to release the FAMA troops.
Russian auxiliaries and FAMA have conducted strikes across northern Mali that have killed civilians and have been condemned by civil society groups, such as the CD-DPA.
Africa News via AFP, Maghrebi.org
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