15 drivers killed in attack on fuel tankers in Mali
At least 15 drivers were killed in a horrific attack targeting a fuel tanker convoy in western Mali, in a serious security incident attributed to armed groups linked to al-Qaeda, highlighting escalating security tensions in the Sahel region of Africa.
Details of the horrific attack
Local and security sources told AFP that the attack occurred last Thursday on a vital road linking the Senegalese border to the city of Kayes in the west of the country. According to a security source, fighters belonging to Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) ambushed the convoy, blindfolded the drivers, and then executed them at close range, in a scene that reflects the brutality of the attack.
A local radio station employee quoted an official in the region as saying: "We counted the bodies of 15 drivers left at the scene next to the burning tankers," indicating the attackers' intention to destroy economic infrastructure in addition to taking lives.
Context of violence and the spread of danger
This attack comes at a time when Mali has been experiencing a continuous deterioration in security since the outbreak of separatist and jihadist rebellions in the north of the country in 2012. Despite previous international military interventions and local operations, the scope of violence has expanded to include the center of the country, and recently the threats have begun to reach the western regions that were considered relatively safe.
Targeting the Kayes region is a dangerous strategic development, as this region is considered the main economic artery for Mali (a landlocked country), since most of the imports coming from the port of Dakar in Senegal pass through it.
Economic blockade strategy
Analysts suggest this attack represents a significant shift in the tactics of Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). Having imposed sieges on several cities in the north and center of the country since last September, the group appears to have moved to a strategy of direct economic strangulation by targeting supply chains.
The group had announced in a video released last November that all fuel truck drivers would be considered "military targets," a threat that was bloodily carried out in this attack, marking the first time that drivers have been directly and systematically targeted for execution, rather than the usual collateral damage in ambushes.
The aftermath of the accident and the drivers' demands
In a statement seen by AFP, the group claimed responsibility for an ambush against the Malian army in the same area between Dibouli and Kayes, without explicitly mentioning the killing of the drivers, possibly in an attempt to avoid direct public backlash, despite its previous threats.
Locally, anger and fear prevailed among transport workers, as truck drivers, during a meeting with the Malian authorities, demanded the army’s intervention to retrieve the bodies and secure the roads, amid fears that these attacks would affect the flow of fuel and basic goods to the capital, Bamako, and other cities, potentially leading to severe economic and humanitarian crises.
