Mali bars civilians from 40 forests to flush out jihadist hideouts
Mali’s military government has taken a bold step in its territorial reconquest strategy. A ministerial decree published on Friday, June 5, 2026, establishes military interest zones covering around forty forests across the country. These areas are now reserved exclusively for operations by the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) and strictly off-limits to any civilian presence. The measure explicitly targets suspected sanctuaries of jihadist groups affiliated with the Islamic State in the Sahel and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
Security mapping reshapes land use
The decree provides a precise list of the affected forest masses, spread across several regions. Wooded areas in the centre and south, long used as fallback bases by armed fighters, feature prominently in this setup. By locking access to these spaces, the junta aims to cut the logistics lines of the katibas and facilitate aerial targeting without risk to civilians.
The choice of forests as the focus of regulation is no accident. For over a decade, these masses have served as grey zones where subsistence economies, smuggling and insurgent activity intertwine. Villagers collect firewood, medicinal plants and game, while herders move their livestock through them. The new legal regime upends this balance by placing these resources under de facto military control.
Concretely, any civilian incursion becomes punishable, and sweep operations can be conducted without prior notice. The text continues the tough stance of the colonels in power since the double coup of 2020 and 2021, who broke with French military presence and shifted the security architecture into the orbit of Russian partners.
A military gamble with heavy humanitarian toll
The tactical effectiveness of the measure will depend on the FAMa’s and their auxiliaries’ ability to hold forest terrain durably. Heliborne operations and targeted strikes, central since the departure of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in 2023, gain an expanded legal framework in these prohibited zones. For Bamako, it also signals to public opinion a renewed initiative against insecurity that has spread southwards, reaching the outskirts of Bamako and Kayes.
Yet social consequences could be considerable. Tens of thousands of residents live near the targeted masses and derive a substantial part of their income from forest exploitation. The ban risks destabilising rural communities already battered by drought, food inflation and the closure of cross-border markets. The Burkinabe precedent, where similar military interest zones were established in 2023, shows a correlation between expanded militarised perimeters and massive internal displacements.
Sahelian convergence around spatial militarisation
Mali’s approach fits a broader regional dynamic. Burkina Faso and Niger, partners within the Sahel States Confederation (AES), have since 2024 multiplied exceptional territorial measures to regain control against armed groups. This doctrinal convergence reflects a shared vision of security sovereignty, based on physical control of peripheral spaces and temporary suspension of certain customary usage rights.
International partners view this shift with caution. Human rights organisations have repeatedly documented abuses committed in areas under enhanced military control. The junta’s ability to balance operational effectiveness and respect for civilian populations will be closely watched, especially by West African neighbours and remaining donors in the country.
Economically, the establishment of these perimeters could also affect artisanal mining concessions and some gold operations located near the targeted forests. The government has not yet specified compensation or resettlement arrangements for affected populations. The ministerial decree was published on June 5, 2026 and covers nearly forty forest masses nationwide.
