How al-Qaida-linked jihadist group JNIM is bringing Mali to its knees

People gather at a petrol station in Bamako, Mali, due to fuel shortages. Photograph: Idriss Sangare/Reuters

Armed groups of JNIM fighters have blocked key routes used by fuel tankers, disrupting supply lines to the capital Bamako and other regions across Mali.

The al-Qaida-linked jihadist group Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) is gradually converging on Mali’s capital, Bamako, with increasing attacks in recent weeks, including on army-backed convoys.