00:00Next, the situation in the Sahel region of Africa.
00:03France, of course, was ordered to pull its troops out.
00:07They've been engaged in an anti-jihadist operation called Operation Barkan,
00:11and this marked an end of France's long-standing relationship
00:14with the Sahel states that had once been under French colonial rule.
00:17Experts at the time speculated about Russian interference,
00:21since it seemed to have been a fact,
00:24and that and the risk of jihadism rising once again.
00:27Take the case of Mali today under a fuel blockade mounted by local jihadi groups.
00:32A sure sign, say observers, of more problems further down the road.
00:37...is the latest sector to buckle under the weight of jihadist control in Mali.
00:43Schools across the capital now forced to shut their doors
00:45as the effects of a tightening insurgent blockade ripple across daily life.
00:52Classes will be suspended throughout the entire national territory
00:55until Sunday, November 9th, 2025.
00:59Classes will resume on November 10th.
01:01These decisions are due to disruptions in fuel supply
01:05that are affecting the movement of those involved in the education sector.
01:12The shutdown follows a month-long blockade
01:15that's left Mali's fuel reserves running dry,
01:18with jihadist group Janim targeting tanker trucks coming from the west.
01:21It's just the latest flashpoint in the Sahel's surging insurgency,
01:26led by al-Qaeda affiliates like Janim and Islamic State.
01:30These groups now operate across more than a million square kilometers,
01:33twice the size of Spain.
01:35And the violence is escalating.
01:37In 2019, there were 1,900 recorded attacks.
01:41Last year, that number soared past 5,500.
01:44Already this year, 3,800 attacks have been reported.
01:48The toll is devastating, with around 76,900 lives lost since 2019.
01:55Both al-Qaeda and Islamic State factions are blamed for roughly half each,
01:59with Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso suffering 56% of those deaths.
02:05Both countries are ruled by military juntas that have expelled Western troops,
02:09particularly French forces, in recent years.
02:12In their place, Russia has stepped in.
02:14First, its Wagner mercenaries, then their successors, the Africa cause,
02:18filled the void, accused by rights groups of committing atrocities of their own.
02:22It is a contentious issue.
02:25Let's bring in Delina Goddio for more on this one.
02:27She's an Associate Fellow at Egmont Institute's Africa Programme.
02:30Thank you so much for being with us here in France, 24.
02:33Delina, we appreciate your time.
02:35Joining us by phone, I understand.
02:36Great to have you on the line anyway.
02:39What's your take on the situation in the Sahel right now?
02:42So, you said it very well.
02:46You explained it very well.
02:47The blockade is causing some problems, some very serious problems,
02:53not just in terms of security, but also in terms of food security,
02:59and schools and universities closed until at least November 10th all over the country.
03:05But this blockade perpetrated by Zhnim is also limiting the capacity for armed forces,
03:11the Malian armed forces, to block Zhnim, as they also need fuel to be able to move.
03:16And so, obviously, the less they counter Zhnim, the freer Zhnim is to operate this blockade.
03:21It's a bit of a cycle.
03:23And the consequences, I think it's worth mentioning,
03:26they're not just practical consequences of livelihood for the Malian population,
03:32but it's also a sense of fear and anger, not just for Malian citizens,
03:37but for the armed forces as well,
03:39because they're increasingly frustrated at the military junta's counter-terrorism mistakes.
03:46Indeed.
03:46It is worth, obviously, reminding people that there is a military junta in Mali at this present moment in time.
03:51France, of course, out at the end of Operation Barkhane, November 2022.
03:56I'm not going to stand here and kind of try to make the case that it would be better if France were still involved.
04:00It's not that easy to say.
04:02However, can I ask your opinion on this one?
04:06If France were still there, do you think things might be better?
04:11I can only say that it seems to me like the situation is getting worse and worse since France has left.
04:19There have been many problems with, there were many problems with Barkhane and French operations in the country.
04:28UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA as well was also lacking in many respects.
04:32But what the Malian junta is claiming the successes, battlefield victories that they call as the retaking of Kidal,
04:43they are fake victories.
04:46The security situation is progressively worsening.
04:48There is more and more Jheneem recruitment all over the country, but also all over the central Sahel.
04:55And this level of control by Jheneem is unseen, even as the Al-Qaeda affiliate was marching across northern and central Mali in 2013, 2012 and 2013.
05:09So the situation is definitely worse now than I believe it could be, should Barkhane be present still.
05:18Delina Goccio will return to this story because there is so much to explore.
05:21But sadly, time against us right here at this presence slot we have.
05:25That's Delina Goccio, Associate Fellow at the Egmont Institute Africa Programme in Geneva, Switzerland.
05:30Thank you for joining us and giving us a sense at least of what is happening across the Sahel right now and of course specifically in Mali.
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