Mali under siege: jihadist blockade tightens around Bamako and targets Manantali dam
The jihadist group Jnim, affiliated with al-Qaïda, has escalated its blockade against Mali, severely disrupting the country’s economic lifelines. Over the weekend, at least ten buses were set ablaze along the critical Ségou-Bamako corridor, a vital route for goods and supplies flowing into the capital from the east. Simultaneously, attacks targeted and destroyed key electrical infrastructure linked to the Manantali hydroelectric dam in the Kayes region. While Malian armed forces continue operations across multiple fronts, they have yet to break the stranglehold suffocating the nation’s economy.
Manantali dam: a strategic target in a war of attrition
The assault on Manantali is far from arbitrary. Operated under a multilateral framework involving Mauritania and Senegal within the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS), the dam is a cornerstone of Mali’s electricity grid. By striking its transmission lines, Jnim is no longer merely challenging state security forces—it is directly targeting the backbone of urban life. Power cuts trigger immediate disruptions in public services, commerce, and industry, amplifying the humanitarian and economic toll on the population.
This offensive is part of a broader campaign unfolding over recent weeks, marked by systematic attacks on fuel convoys entering from Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. The jihadists aim to weaponize fuel shortages, betting on eroding public support for the transitional government led by General Assimi Goïta. Bamako, long shielded from the worst of the conflict, now finds itself at the epicenter of a grinding war of exhaustion.
Army response and fragile relief efforts
In response, the Malian military claims to be conducting sustained ground and aerial operations across several regions. Escorts have enabled hundreds of fuel tankers to reach Bamako in recent days, offering temporary relief to the city’s besieged gas stations. Yet this logistical reprieve remains fragile—each convoy demands substantial resources, and the prospect of securing national highways over the long term appears increasingly distant.
The Armed Forces of Mali (FAMa) are caught in a tightening vice. In the west and central regions, Jnim has intensified ambushes and infrastructure sabotage. To the north, in the Kidal area, tensions remain frozen in a precarious standoff, with further clashes likely against rebel factions of the Permanent Strategic Framework. Bamako’s leadership now faces a dual challenge, stretched thin by dwindling human and material capacities.
A regional crisis deepens
The blockade’s ripple effects extend well beyond Mali’s borders. Neighboring economies—particularly those of Senegal, Mauritania, and Côte d’Ivoire—watch with growing alarm as West African trade corridors deteriorate. Slowing goods flows have already impacted ports in Dakar and Abidjan, where a significant portion of trade traditionally routes toward the Sahelian hinterland. The Sahel States Confederation, uniting Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, has yet to forge a unified response to the economic warfare waged by jihadist groups.
The attack on Manantali also raises urgent questions about shared infrastructure within the OMVS. Further damage could directly jeopardize electricity supplies to Senegal and Mauritania, transforming a Malian crisis into a regional emergency. External partners, including donors and military suppliers, face a critical dilemma: balancing support for Bamako’s sovereignty with the imperative of protecting transboundary critical infrastructure.
On the ground, the disconnect between the army’s operational claims and the harsh reality of a capital under siege underscores the unique nature of this conflict phase. Jnim’s goals have evolved beyond territorial control; it now seeks to asphyxiate the state itself.
