The U.S. State Department on Thursday ordered non-emergency government employees and their family members to depart Mali, citing escalating safety risks amid a militant-imposed fuel blockade.
The move upgrades last week’s authorization for voluntary departure and follows Tuesday’s warning for U.S. citizens to leave immediately. Mali remains under a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory.
Al Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) announced a blockade on fuel imports in early September and has since attacked tanker convoys headed toward the landlocked country and the capital, Bamako. The shortages prompted Mali’s government to suspend classes at schools and universities nationwide for two weeks on Sunday.
Analysts say the blockade is designed to squeeze the military-led authorities by choking off critical supplies and economic activity.