Islamic extremists are “suffocating” Mali’s capital city through a fuel blockade and dictatorial new rules enforced on those within it, including that women must wear headscarves when travelling by bus – a worrying development for Christians.
Malian church leader and Open Doors partner Charles Yabaga Diarra* revealed to that the attackers, who are believed en to be loyal to Jama’at Nasrat al Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), have led attacks in several areas across Mali and are now concentrating their efforts on cities bordering the Ivory Coast – where fuel comes from – including the capital, Bamako.
Tower of Africa in Bamako
Attacks on fuel tankers en route into Bamako have seen prices surge and created a food and supplies shortage, while the terrorists’ strict enforcement of head coverings on buses has increased concerns regarding how Christians are being treated in the region.
Diarra said that the attackers are closely monitoring travel in and out of the city, have cut off all main roads leading to Bamako, and have used social media posts to terrify residents and users of major highways in an effort to “economically isolate” the city, as they work towards their goal of imposing Sharia law across the country.
Diarra revealed that the attackers have been allowed to grow in influence because the state “did not react at the right time” to defeat them, with several high-ranking officials now in prison. When asked how recent events have impacted the Malian church, Diarra said: “Last Sunday, I worshipped at home with my family [because] there was no fuel to get to church. Some activities or meetings have been suspended or postponed.
“The umbrella organisation of Protestant Evangelical Churches in Mali has postponed its General Assembly to February 2026. It is impossible to go out to visit missionaries or evaluate the work in the field.”
Diarra remains unsure about how the situation is likely to develop. He said: “The warning signs are a bad omen. Having lived through the 2012 crisis, I see a return to the pattern or paradigm. There’s the desertion of the military, the state trying to reassure with sibylline [mysterious and difficult to understand] rhetoric. There’s general worry and discouragement, without mentioning other sociological factors. I pray and hope that the situation normalises and calms down.”
*Name changed for security reasons
