DAKAR: Mali’s military has prevented approximately 70 fuel trucks from travelling to Allied Gold’s Sadiola mine following an al Qaeda-linked militant blockade on fuel imports to the landlocked country.
Two people familiar with the matter confirmed that fuel supplies are dwindling at the remote gold mine located some 650 kilometres from the capital Bamako.
Mali’s military government faces growing pressure from militant groups attempting to encircle cities and towns across the Sahel region according to security analysts.
A Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin militant spokesperson announced the blockade in early September through a video statement.
“We are telling all traders who import diesel and gasoline into Mali, whether from Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal, or Mauritania, to stop doing so until further notice,“ the spokesperson declared.
The militant spokesperson justified the blockade by accusing Mali’s authorities of persecuting civilians and cutting fuel supplies to villages under the pretext of combating jihadists.
Armed forces have recently kept many fuel tankers destined for Sadiola in the border town of Diboli with Senegal according to both sources.
Several other tankers remain held in Kayes town approximately 75 kilometres north of Sadiola awaiting military escorts to the mining site.
Three tankers successfully reached the Sadiola mine under military escort this week according to one source familiar with the operation.
Companies operating in Mali sometimes wait weeks or months to secure military escorts due to limited availability of security forces.
Spokespeople for Allied Gold and the Malian military did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the situation.
Insurgents destroyed at least 40 fuel tankers last month during an attack on a convoy of more than 100 vehicles under military escort heading toward Bamako.
Militants attacked a convoy transporting heavy mining equipment from Bamako to Sadiola in May highlighting expanding security risks for mining companies.
Mining companies face increasing operational challenges in Mali as the military-led government struggles to contain jihadist groups across the country. – Reuters