Mali tells Russian media that cowardly outside powers are to blame for surge in violence

A recent report showed that the violence in Mali has gotten so heated that its neighbour, the Ivory Coast, has been forced to declare an emergency border shutdown.

Ivorian officials claim the move is necessary to address the unexpected surge of refugees fleeing conflicts in the southern Sahel region.

Last week, the United States added five African countries to its high-risk travel list, including Mali, citing escalating insecurity and political instability across the continent.

The directive emphasizes Mali’s deteriorating security situation, which has been exacerbated by Islamist violence, political isolation, and economic distress.

Despite years of counterterrorism measures, militants affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State continue to operate across the country, notably in the north and center.

The US embassy stated that chronic and unpredictable disruptions in accessible gasoline and diesel supplies are affecting cities across Mali, including Bamako.

The withdrawal of international forces and humanitarian partners also added to weakened governmental control in some areas, exposing residents to violence and displacement.

However, Mali recently gave a counter-assessment to the rise of violence in the country.

According to Mali’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdoulaye Diop, the rise in violence is a result of externally sponsored terrorism.

“Our populations have understood the scheme, they understand the game, they are not fooled,” Abdoulaye Diop said to SputnikAfrica on the sidelines of the BAMEX 2025 defense expo in Bamako.

“We must not think we are simply facing terrorist groups.”

He also alluded to how the current surge in violence is a proxy war in disguise.

“No, this is a proxy war in which certain powers, which are cowardly and cannot confront us directly, are using terrorist groups and asymmetric forces to try to fight us,” he said.

He mentioned that the powers he was hinting at are “trying to slip back in through the window what they could not obtain through the door.”

Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), the al-Qaeda-affiliated group, is reported to be at the center of Mali’s conflict, as it launched new attacks.

JNIM, which was formed in 2017 through the merger of multiple jihadist factions, has slowly expanded its operations outside Mali to include Burkina Faso, Niger, Ghana, Benin, Togo, and the Ivory Coast.

In October, the organization launched its first confirmed strike in Nigeria, killing a soldier and taking ammunition and cash.

The insurgent group has also attempted to put pressure on Mali’s military authority by blocking critical transit routes from Senegal and the Ivory Coast, resulting in fuel shortages and considerable economic distress in Bamako.