The government has introduced a nationwide suspension of large motorcycles in rural and peri-urban areas, effective immediately. Authorities have also halted all imports, transit, sales, and free distribution of these vehicles and their accessories throughout the country. The announcement was broadcast on national television following a cabinet-level decree issued on June 3.

The move comes as jihadist groups, including the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), continue to intensify attacks across Mali. On April 25 and 26, coordinated offensives by these groups, alongside the predominantly Tuareg Front de Libération de l’Azawad (FLA), targeted multiple locations and severed critical supply routes to Bamako.

Which areas are exempt from this restriction?

Under the new measures, the suspension does not apply to Bamako’s urban district or the regional, district, and arrondissement capitals. Authorities have emphasized that this restriction is a direct response to the persistent use of large motorcycles by armed groups to conduct attacks, ambushes, and territorial control in less populated zones.

Since April 30, jihadist forces have enforced a road blockade on several major highways leading to the capital, further straining the country’s already fragile stability. The latest restrictions aim to disrupt insurgent mobility while reinforcing control over transportation networks outside urban strongholds.