Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop has dismissed reports suggesting that militants from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) could soon overrun the capital Bamako, describing such claims as exaggerated and far from the country’s reality.
Speaking Wednesday at the BAMEX’25 Defence Expo in Bamako, Diop said that the government and national security forces remain fully in control despite recent efforts by JNIM militants to disrupt fuel supplies to the capital.
“We are very far from the scenario being described outside our country, saying that the terrorists are here or that they are going to take Bamako,” Diop told reporters. “We are not at all in that situation.”
He said the militants’ attempted fuel blockade, launched in September, was aimed at creating unrest and provoking instability against the military-led government. “Those making such predictions need to wake up from their dreams,” he added.
While the blockade caused fuel shortages and temporary school closures, many schools have since reopened, and the capital this week hosted the BAMEX defence exhibition, featuring foreign participants, including Turkish companies.
Diop also responded to travel advisories from Western countries urging their citizens to leave Mali, saying the situation does not justify alarm. “We respect the choice of certain countries that have asked their nationals to leave, but Mali remains a welcoming country,” he said.
The minister criticized external statements, including from the African Union, that he said misrepresent the local context. He argued that the AU’s call for a broader international response reflected “a poor understanding of the conditions on the ground.”
Mali, together with Burkina Faso and Niger, has in recent years distanced itself from Western allies and strengthened defence cooperation with Russia.
Despite ongoing security challenges, Diop said relations between Bamako and Washington were improving under the current U.S. administration, noting that both sides were engaged in “dialogue” on security and economic issues.