People who live in cities in Mali are being attacked by a group called al-Qaeda. They say that they don’t have enough food, fuel, or medicine, and the prices of things are going up quickly.
The blockades happened because there is more fighting going on between the army, who have help from Russian Wagner soldiers, and both groups of Islamist fighters and ethnic Tuareg separatist fighters.
For almost two months, a group called Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has been attempting to completely block the historic city of Timbuktu in the north. They are stopping supplies from reaching the city.
Omar Sidi Muhammad, a journalist who lives in the city, said that before the siege, many trucks with food and goods arrived every day. However, now, nothing comes anymore.
In the past, Timbuktu received most of its supplies from Mauritania and Algeria.
Muhammad said that the cost of food coming from nearby countries had increased by two times. The prices of essential items like sugar, flour, oil, and baby formula were all impacted.
“There is not enough fuel available, and the cost of fuel has gone up by 80%. ”
There are cooking oil bottles in a little store.
The city has been attacked by rockets fired by the militants as well.
“People are scared, but they became even more scared, extremely scared, after the latest events,” he said.
“Many people had to leave because it was dangerous. ”
The United Nations believes that around 33,000 individuals have escaped or left their homes.
In 2012, a group of people called Tuareg rebels took control of Timbuktu after they rebelled against the government. However, shortly after, another group connected to al-Qaeda came and took over the city. They made strict rules based on Islamic law, such as forcing women to cover their faces completely, not allowing music, and cutting off body parts of criminals as punishment. A man and a woman were killed by throwing stones at them because they were married to other people but had a relationship with each other.
A lot of people are afraid that if JNIM does succeed in taking the city again, it will be bad.
After one year of rule by Islamic extremists, the government of Mali recaptured the city with the support of French soldiers. But the French soldiers have left the country because the army took control in 2021, and the UN’s mission to maintain peace is also leaving.
Gao, the biggest city in the north of Mali, is being blocked off by JNIM. It is about 320 km (200 miles) away from Timbuktu.
The militant group gained more power in the past week. A person who lives in the area, and wants to stay anonymous, told the BBC that the city’s electricity supply is being badly affected because there is not enough fuel.
Houses are currently receiving electricity for only one hour per day.
“The man said that people are scared because of the war. ” “He said that they are unhappy because the price of food is increasing, and he mentioned that the costs have increased by two times. ”
“Many families have moved away from the city. ”
Normally, the economy of the city relies on trade with Niger and Algeria. However, because of the actions of JNIM, many merchants have been forced to leave the city. As a result, the streets are now empty and abandoned.
‘Prepared for a fight’
The two cities are blocked off because different groups in Mali are quickly trying to take control of the area since the international troops left.
The United Nations said it would stop its mission in Mali and its troops would leave the country by December. This happened because Mali’s military junta refused to let them stay any longer.
This caused both government soldiers and Tuareg separatist groups to promise to take control of the force’s bases in the northern part of the country. The northern area has been under the control of the Tuareg since a peace agreement was reached in 2015.
Fighting started in August over who gets to control a UN site in the town of Ber and has become even more intense since then. JNIM has used the chaos to attack government forces.
Tuareg groups have claimed that they have recently attacked five military bases belonging to the government. They announced their goal of gaining control over the entire northern region of Mali through posts on social media. Their intention is to create a separate and self-governing state called Azawad.
At the same time, the governing military has promised to regain full control of the whole country. On Monday, they sent a big group of soldiers and vehicles towards a town called Kidal in the north. Kidal is an important place for the Tuareg people.
Col Malick Diaw, who is a senior member of the junta, recently told the temporary legislative assembly that making sure the country is safe is extremely important to us.
“We are joining forces with the army to take back our lands from savage groups of people who have been occupying them for a long time. These barbarians have no beliefs, rules, or religion, and their only goal is to harm and kill innocent individuals who just want to live peacefully. ”
Mohamed Mouloude Ramadan, who speaks for a group of Tuareg people called the CMA, told the BBC that they are prepared to prevent something and have been preparing for it for a while.
“We are preparing additional fighters for the fight. ”
A local problem or issue
The fighting in Mali is becoming a danger for other countries in Africa’s Sahel area. The government and Tuareg rebels are asking for help from other countries.
Tuareg groups in Libya, Algeria, and Niger have expressed their support for the separatists in Mali. A rebel leader from Niger has encouraged fighters to join them in fighting on the front line.
