The African Union Commission has expressed “deep concern” over an ongoing terrorist blockade in Mali, calling for “urgent international action”.
For weeks, terrorists with the Al-Qaeda-linked group JNIM have imposed a fuel blockade on Mali, creating a crisis for its ruling military junta.
“Youssouf expresses his deep concern over the rapid deterioration of the security situation in Mali, where terrorist groups have imposed a blockade, disrupted access to essential goods, and dramatically worsened the humanitarian crisis for civilian populations,” the AU President Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said in the statement on Sunday
JNIM terrorists have been attacking and burning fuel trucks, kidnapping truck drivers, and denying fuel imports from Senegal and the Ivory Coast, local media reports.
As a result of the blockade, power outages are spreading across the country, and citizens are forced to wait in line for hours to purchase fuel for their vehicles.
The AU was ready “to support Mali, as well as all Sahel countries, during this particularly delicate phase,” the statement added.
The AU has called for a “strong, coordinated, and coherent international response to combat terrorism and violent extremism in the Sahel.”
With the situation deteriorating, several Western countries, including the United States, Australia, Italy, and Germany, have advised their citizens to leave Mali immediately.