Description: Mali’s military forces have reported clashes with militants affiliated with Al Qaeda near the capital Bamako and other cities bordering Senegal and Mauritania such as Kayes and Nioro. Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) have started enforcing logistical and transportational blockades across several key roads in Mali on the country’s fuel and oil shipments. The region where the attacks happened is also rich in natural resources such as gold and rare earth minerals which emphasizes JNIM’s escalation of control and operational outreach against the junta – led government in Mali. The military has stated that airstrikes were conducted combined with ground offensives where civilians previously kidnapped by JNIM were rescued, while several militants were reported to have been killed.
Impact: Terrorist organizations in the Sahel are continuously increasing their operational capabilities, diversifying their sources of revenue as they fight over territorial control in countries such as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. JNIM has gradually increased the number of attacks across several countries in central and western Africa, operating in Togo, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which indicates the terrorist organization’s expansion plans. The landlocked Sahel region is largely dependent on imports of all kinds of products which are representing a legitimate target to terrorist organizations which are aiming to suffocate the country’s economy, cause widespread destabilization and strain governmental capacities. The region’s high level of instability would continue to persist, as a wider framework for tackling terrorism threats appears as the obvious method for combating the large – scale instability.