A severe lack of fuel, triggered by jihadist blockades on vital transport routes, is intensifying the humanitarian emergency in Mali. This scarcity is disrupting the daily existence of citizens and halting United Nations operations in a nation already struggling with widespread hunger and persistent violence.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), supply chain disruptions have significantly hindered aid delivery across central and southern regions, including Ségou, San, Koutiala, Mopti, and Bandiagara. These strategic areas serve as essential links between the capital, Bamako, and the volatile northern territories.
Many aid organizations have been forced to scale back their field activities, with mobile health clinics now restricted to a ten-kilometer radius from their headquarters. Due to movement constraints, robberies, and unofficial checkpoints, several programs have been temporarily put on hold.
Since September, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, has been obstructing fuel imports coming from Sénégal and Côte d’Ivoire. These neighboring countries are the primary transit points for goods entering landlocked Mali. The resulting blockade has now reached Bamako and most other regions, triggering a combined energy and food crisis for the population.
Léré isolated from essential aid
In the Tombouctou region of the northwest, the town of Léré, situated near the Mauritanian border, has faced strict access limitations imposed by armed factions since October 27.
“This new restriction has forced residents to flee toward safer locations,” OCHA noted in a report regarding humanitarian access for October. The document further clarified that “with the exception of aid workers already stationed in the town, no other humanitarian organizations have been able to reach the area.”
The report documented roughly fifty access-related incidents across the country, marking a 13% rise from September. Explosive devices remain the deadliest threat, with 28 reported cases. Additionally, three direct attacks on aid personnel and nine kidnappings were recorded, primarily in the Ségou and Gao regions.
Tragedy also struck near Douentza, where two humanitarian workers died after a boat capsized on the Niger River near Kagnimé. “Such violence threatens the safety of our teams and slows down vital field work,” the OCHA report emphasized, noting that the operational environment remains highly unstable and logistics—particularly regarding fuel—continue to hamper efforts to reach those in need.
A climate of political and social restriction
This crisis is unfolding against a backdrop of increasing political repression. Since the 2020 coup, General Assimi Goïta has tightened his control over the government, postponing presidential elections indefinitely and banning all political parties in May 2025. By July, new legislation allowed him to extend his leadership repeatedly until the nation is deemed “pacified.”
The UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk, has criticized these moves, stating they effectively block any democratic path in Mali for the foreseeable future while using the law to silence dissent. Arrests of political figures and civilians have surged; notably, former Prime Minister Moussa Mara was detained in August and later sentenced for allegedly undermining the state’s credibility.
This political shift coincides with a spike in armed conflict. Jihadist groups, including GSIM and local Daech affiliates, continue to launch attacks in the center and north, particularly along the borders with Burkina Faso and Niger. Since April, Volker Türk’s office has documented hundreds of cases of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, and forced disappearances involving all sides of the conflict.
These factors exacerbate a humanitarian disaster where 6.4 million people require assistance, including 3.5 million children. Mali currently hosts over 400,000 internally displaced persons and 335,000 refugees in neighboring states. A recent UN report on global food insecurity ranks Mali among the six most critical food crises on earth, alongside Haïti, Palestine, Soudan du Sud, Soudan, and Yémen. The situation is deteriorating rapidly as international support wanes.
Rising numbers of Burkinabé refugees
In the Koro district, near the border with Burkina Faso, a massive influx of displaced people is putting immense pressure on local resources. Since April, nearly 50,000 Burkinabé citizens have arrived, effectively doubling the local refugee population.
The UN Refugee Agency (HCR) reports that this surge is overwhelming local reception capacities. In response, a new field office was opened in Koro on October 16 to streamline the humanitarian response and improve coordination.
Today, Mali is home to more than 150,000 refugees from Burkina Faso and Niger, all of whom are fleeing a combination of jihadist violence and military operations against armed groups.
