☀️ Good Afternoon! Stay informed with this latest update.
The blockade comes days after Mali's defence minister was assassinated in a series of nationwide attacks.
Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessWorld of BusinessTechnology of BusinessNYSE Opening BellTechnologyWatch DocumentariesArtificial IntelligenceIntelligence RevolutionAI v the MindTech NowHealthWatch DocumentariesCultureWatch DocumentariesFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsWatch DocumentariesArts in MotionTravelWatch DocumentariesDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthWatch DocumentariesScienceNatural WondersClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoWatch DocumentariesBBC MaestroDiscover the WorldLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersWatch Live'How are we going to get back home?' Islamist group tightens blockade on Mali capital49 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNicolas NégoceBBC AfricaAFP via Getty ImagesMali's army has been battling Islamist groups for more than a decadeMali's capital city Bamako - a major West African hub and home to more than three million people - is under a partial blockade by Islamist militants, days after the country's defence minister was assassinated there.
"Our army isn't capable of protecting us, how are we going to get back home?" a mother-of-two told the BBC, unable to re-enter Bamako after visiting her parents out of town.
She and many others have been stranded on the Bamako-Kéniéba highway, a major road out of the capital for almost a day.
It follows Wednesday's warning by fighters from the group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) that "no-one will be allowed in any more".
Last year, the Islamist groups imposed a fuel blockade on the city, causing shortages and a sharp increase in prices but they have now ordered a total blockade, leaving residents worried.
Eyewitnesses told the BBC that at least three of the six main routes into the city are now closed for hours at a time before the fighters move elsewhere. While they're gone, some vehicles manage to slowly get through.
Last weekend saw nationwide, coordinated attacks by an alliance of jihadists and separatist rebels in the north - the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) - seeking to overthrow the military regime of Gen Assimi Goïta, who seized power in a coup in 2020.
Mali's army has been working with the Russian paramilitary group, the Africa Corps, which emerged from the Wagner Group, against the insurgents.
In the face of the attacks, the Russians were forced to withdraw from the northern city of Kidal, which is now under FLA control. The FLA now say they will march on other cities in the north and have demanded the withdrawal of the Africa Corps from the entire country.
A Kremlin spokesperson on Thursday vowed that Russian forces would remain in Mali "to combat extremism, terrorism and other harmful phenomena and will continue to provide assistance to the current government".
One lorry driver trying
0 Comments