Amnesty International has issued a strong appeal to the jihadist group JNIM, urging them to uphold the safety and freedom of movement for civilians across Mali. This comes as civilians increasingly bear the brunt of insurgent attacks, which have included a two-week-long road blockade on the capital, Bamako. Since April 30, jihadist factions have obstructed several critical routes leading to the capital, a landlocked nation heavily reliant on road-borne imports for its sustenance.

“The current blockade of Bamako imposes unacceptable restrictions on the freedom of movement for civilians and risks severe violations of their rights to food security, health, and indeed, life itself,” Amnesty stated in a recent communiqué.

The human rights organization further implored the JNIM to adhere to international humanitarian law. It highlighted a specific incident on May 6, detailing an attack on “a convoy of trucks transporting civilian-owned goods, including fruits, between Bamako and Bougouni” in the south. These vehicles, Amnesty emphasized, “were not escorted by the army and carried neither military personnel nor equipment.”

Malian army strikes expected to intensify

Meanwhile, the Malian army has declared its intention to escalate airstrikes against the city of Kidal in the coming days. Kidal has been under the control of Touareg rebels from the Front de Libération de l’Azawad (FLA) and their jihadist allies from JNIM, also known as the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, since late April. While the Malian army asserts it has conducted multiple strikes on the city, Touareg separatists claim to hold 200 Malian soldiers captured during the attacks on April 25.

A Kidal resident I spoke with confirmed that the city is experiencing power outages. Telephone communication also remains challenging, affecting Kidal and several other towns across northern Mali.

On the ground, residents are struggling to discern truth from conflicting reports, leading to widespread uncertainty.

A resident of Gao also described a pervasive climate of distrust, even though the city remains under Malian government control. “We are told to rely solely on government communiqués,” she explained, adding that the prices of essential foodstuffs, such as onions, have doubled.

Hervé Lankoandé Wendyam, an independent analyst specializing in West African political and security dynamics, observed, “There is a clear intention to separate the North from the rest of the country. What is unfolding in central Mali is largely JNIM’s ambition to elevate the conflict to a new level by seizing control of cities.”

The situation in central Mali

A source intimately familiar with the country’s central regions highlighted several areas now under jihadist control, specifically the left bank of the Niger River in the Ségou region and a portion of the Koulikoro region. In these zones, state administration is notably absent.

Jihadists are reportedly collecting zakat, a religious tax, in hundreds of villages, and numerous schools have been forced to close. A report from late January indicated that over 2,300 schools were shut down across Mali, with the northern and central regions being the most severely affected.

Abdoulaye Sounaye, a researcher and expert on jihadist groups in the Sahel, suggests that the various forces are currently in a phase of observation, reorganization, and rearmament, particularly on the side of the Malian army.

“I have the impression that the government and the military regime are preparing to avenge the affront. Meanwhile, JNIM and FLA forces are also observing and preparing for a potential resumption of hostilities by the Malian army. Caught between these forces, the civilian population will inevitably continue to suffer abuses from one side or the other.”

According to a regional expert, the most viable solution to resolve the security crisis in northern and central Mali, and indeed nationwide, involves establishing a comprehensive dialogue with all parties involved.

“Today, the crisis is pervasive across various social groups. It is incumbent upon the government, alongside the national elite of all political persuasions, to come together and overcome this crisis through resolution and negotiation. There is a political problem that the Malian authorities must address. They can resolve it if they demonstrate openness. If the Malian leadership wishes to avoid an eternal crisis, the current government must declare its readiness for genuine dialogue with all segments of the country,” asserted Ahmed Ould Abdallah from the 4S center.

“I believe that sooner or later, these opposing forces will be compelled to convene around a table and reach an agreement,” predicted Abdoulaye Sounaye, research unit director at the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient in Berlin, Germany.

However, Mali officially rejects any negotiation with the FLA and JNIM, which the Malian authorities categorize as terrorist entities. Despite this stance, secret negotiations were reportedly conducted between Malian military authorities and JNIM jihadists to facilitate fuel supplies for Mali.