Jihadists in troubled Mali called for a united front to bring down the military junta that has run the country since 2020, as they also began a road blockade on the capital Bamako.
The call followed joint weekend attacks by jihadist movements and Tuareg separatists against the ruling junta’s positions.
Late Thursday, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM, allied with Al-Qaeda), issued a statement calling for a broad “common front” to “bring down the junta” and proceed with “a peaceful and inclusive transition.”
“We call on all sincere patriots, without exception, to rise up and unite our forces in a common front,” JNIM declared. The jihadist group cited “political parties, the national armed forces, religious authorities, traditional leaders, and all components of Malian society” in the French-language statement published on its Az Zallaqa platform.
Earlier this week, the JNIM had announced its intention to impose a blockade on access routes to Bamako, threatening severe reprisals against anyone still travelling on roads leading to the capital or the nearby town of Kati, a junta stronghold.
“The only concession is being made for those already in Bamako to allow them to leave,” a JNIM spokesperson stated.
Traffic heading to the capital had thinned out over the past two days, according to road users, though air traffic remained unaffected.
Earlier Thursday, Mali held a tribute under tight security for defence minister Sadio Camara, who was killed in the weekend attacks.
Read moreMali holds tribute for assassinated defence minister under tight security
Thousands of people, including junta leader Assimi Goita, attended the ceremony at the military engineering battalion grounds in the centre of the capital, Bamako.
On Thursday, hundreds of passenger and goods vehicles were stranded at several entry points into Bamako, transport operators said, notably on routes leading out to Conakry, Abidjan and Dakar, port cities in neighbouring states vital to landlocked Mali’s economy.
“We’ve been stuck here since yesterday (Wednesday). There are at least a hundred vehicles parked here as far as the eye can see,” a lorry driver said, speaking from the border town of Kouremale.
“We’re waiting for things to settle down, but anxiety is mounting,” he told AFP.
On the road to Sikasso, another vital route linking Mali to Ivorian seaports including Abidjan, several sources reported violent incidents with one security source telling AFP a number of drivers had been killed — though it was not possible to verify the claim.
Read moreMali crisis deepens as separatists and jihadists step up attacks
Late last year, the JNIM attempted to cripple the Malian economy by imposing blockades on the supply of petrol and diesel being trucked in from Ivory Coast and Senegal in particular.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
