BAMAKO, Mali -- BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Endless lines stretched in front of gas stations in Mali’s capital Bamako late into Monday night, as commuters desperately tried to find fuel.Residents are starting to feel the impact of a blockade on fuel imports to the city declared in early September by a militant group affiliated with al-Qaida.Amadou Berthé, a bank employee in Bamako, said he traveled 20 kilometers (12 miles) by motorcycle taxi to find gas for his car, which broke down due to a lack of fuel as he was returning from work“I’ve been to more than 20 gas stations and still can’t find any fuel,” Berthé said, sitting on the back of the motorcycle with an empty jerry can on his knees.Militants from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) have relentlessly attacked fuel tankers coming from neighboring Senegal and Ivory Coast, plunging the capital of the landlocked West African country into crisis.
Despite being one of Africa’s top gold producers, Mali is ranked the sixth least developed nation in the world, with nearly half its population living below the national poverty line.Some oil importers in Mali have started to use alternative ways of bringing fuel into the country in order to protect their staff and their businesses.“I transport fuel in my tankers from Dakar (the capital of Senegal) to the border with Mali, where I sell it to traders who then take the risk of bringing it into Mali,” a Malian fuel importer, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals, told the AP.“Of course, I don’t earn much, but it’s the only way I’ve found to keep my employees and tanker trucks safe,” the importer said.Analysts say the blockade poses huge risks for the fragile local economy and is a significant setback for Mali’s military junta, which took power in 2021 promising to improve security.
Instead, attacks from militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have intensified in recent months.Beverly Ochieng, an ana...