JNIM resumes fuel-tanker attacks on southern Mali corridor linking Bamako to Côte d’Ivoire

Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wa al Muslimeen (JNIM) has resumed attacks on fuel tankers along one of Mali’s main supply corridors linking Bamako to Côte d’Ivoire, targeting convoys on the Bougouni axis after a brief lull, according to conflict-monitoring groups and media reports.

JNIM attacked two fuel convoys on December 6 and December 10 along the Bougouni route, marking its first such strikes in nearly a month, according to the Critical Threats Project, created by the American Enterprise Institute think tank. The attacks came after the Malian junta had escorted multiple convoys along the axis since late October, with up to six movements involving an estimated 300–400 tankers per convoy.

The militant group had issued warnings in videos released on November 16 and December 11 that it would tighten its blockade of southern Mali. The Bougouni corridor is critical to Mali’s fuel supply, with the country importing about 57% of its fuel from Côte d’Ivoire and Bamako particularly dependent on the route, Critical Threats Project writes.

The renewed disruption raises risks for fuel availability and prices in southern Mali and the capital, where authorities have previously warned that sustained attacks on the Bougouni corridor could strain supplies and increase transport costs.

Analysts cited by ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data) note that fuel shortages along the route have knock-on effects for electricity generation, food transport and humanitarian operations, amplifying the economic and social impact of the security crisis.

The renewed attacks follow the reported collapse of a temporary truce that had allowed fuel traffic to resume. The Wall Street Journal and French media reported that the junta agreed to release up to 115 JNIM prisoners in exchange for a temporary lifting of the blockade on the Bougouni axis.

According to those reports, the final group of 45 prisoners was released on December 3, two days before the alleged truce expired. Social media accounts have suggested, without independent confirmation, that the arrangement was linked to parallel negotiations involving the United Arab Emirates for the release of two Emirati hostages held by JNIM.

JNIM freed the Emirati hostages in late October, reportedly in exchange for more than $20mn and the release of 25 JNIM members. Analysts cited by conflict monitors suggest this may have formed the first phase of the broader prisoner-release arrangement. During the blockade’s initial phase from September 3 to late October, JNIM carried out 11 tanker attacks along the route, compared with only one during the reported truce period.

Since the truce’s apparent end, JNIM has recorded two tanker attacks within five days, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), indicating a renewed effort to disrupt fuel supplies to southern Mali and the capital.

In parallel, the Malian junta has stepped up counterinsurgency operations in western Sikasso. Since September 3, Malian forces have conducted 14 operations in the area after years of limited activity, claiming to have killed 40 militants and destroyed several encampments used to stage tanker attacks. The military has also begun providing air support to fuel convoys, seeking to pre-empt attacks along contested roadways.

The escalation also raises regional spillover concerns. Côte d’Ivoire, which serves as Mali’s primary fuel transit route, has tightened security along border corridors to protect commercial traffic. Burkina Faso faces similar risks as militant activity increasingly targets transport routes linking coastal states to the Sahel. Regional analysts warn that sustained disruption could push militant pressure further south, threatening trade flows and energy supplies across parts of West Africa.