Author: Portia Crowe and David Lewis
DAKAR (Reuters) – Al Qaeda-linked rebels called on Malians to rise up against the military-led government and transition to Sharia law, as multiple security sources said the group had set up checkpoints around the capital and seized northern towns.
The latest incident comes just days after the Islamic Nusrat Muslim Jamaat (JNIM) launched unprecedented attacks across the country on April 25, in coordination with the Tuareg-dominated rebel group the Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA).
Mali’s defense minister was killed in those attacks in the landlocked African country and at a base near the capital Bamako. The town of Kidal was also captured.
Five sources told Reuters on Friday that after the attack, the group threatened a total blockade of Bamako and set up checkpoints on several main roads leading into the city. The FLA also captured the northern town of Tessalit.
“We call on all sincere patriots, without exception, to stand up and unite,” the group said in a rare French-language statement released late Thursday, which was confirmed by the U.S.-based SITE intelligence organization.
Although French is the official language of Mali’s government and businesses, JNIM usually issues statements in Arabic.
The statement called on political parties, soldiers, religious authorities, traditional leaders and “all sectors of Malian society” to end the government’s “dictatorship,” which it described as a “terrorist junta.”
“Toppling the military junta is not enough. Together we must prevent any chaotic vacuum that could plunge our country into total collapse,” the statement said.
It called for a “peaceful, responsible and inclusive transition” and the establishment of Sharia law.
Mali’s military leaders seized power in successive coups in 2020 and 2021. Military leader Assimi Goita said in a televised address on Tuesday that the situation was under control and vowed to “eliminate” the rebel group behind the attack.
Bamako blockade
A security source said on Friday that militants had set up some kind of checkpoints on three roads outside the capital – RN24 in the northwest, RN7 in the south and RN6 in the east. Another security analyst said there were checkpoints on the RN5 southwest of the capital.
It’s unclear how tightly they control the movement of people and goods in and out of the city.
One businessman said goods were being blocked from entering the capital.
Elsewhere, the northern town of Tessalit was captured by the FLA on Friday, six sources told Reuters.
A video confirmed by Reuters showed militants driving through Tessalit and raising FLA flags.
A spokesman for the Malian military did not respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Portia Crowe and David Lewis; Additional reporting by Aaron McNicholas; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
