The U.S. State Department has ordered the departure of all non-emergency personnel and their family members from Mali, citing escalating security risks as al Qaeda-linked insurgents tighten a fuel blockade on the country.
“The Department of State ordered non-emergency employees and their family members to leave Mali due to safety risks,” the department said in an updated travel advisory issued on Thursday (October 30).
The move comes just days after the department authorised voluntary departures and warned U.S. citizens to leave Mali immediately, as the security situation continues to deteriorate. The advisory remains at Level 4 – Do Not Travel, the highest risk level in the U.S. system.
Militants impose fuel blockade
The crisis stems from a blockade announced in early September by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al Qaeda-affiliated militant group operating across the Sahel. The group has attacked convoys of fuel tankers attempting to reach the capital, Bamako, or cross Mali’s borders, effectively choking the flow of essential supplies into the landlocked West African nation.
The Malian government, struggling to maintain control over parts of the country, responded on Sunday by suspending schools and universities nationwide for two weeks, citing fuel shortages.
Analysts say the blockade is part of a broader pressure campaign against Mali’s military-led government, which seized power in a coup in 2021 and has since faced growing insurgent threats and international isolation.
“This blockade is designed to suffocate Mali’s economy — to cut off its oxygen supply,” one regional security analyst told Reuters earlier this week.
The State Department’s latest evacuation order underscores Washington’s mounting concern over Mali’s stability, as militant groups expand their influence across the Sahel region, threatening trade routes and regional energy access.
The U.S. State Department has ordered the departure of all non-emergency personnel and their family members from Mali, citing escalating security risk...
U.S. President Donald Trump has set the refugee admissions ceiling for fiscal year 2026 at 7,500, the lowest in American history, according to a White...
A U.S. court has reinstated a $185 million verdict against Bayer’s Monsanto unit over chemical contamination at a Washington state school, reviving ...
Russia launched a large-scale overnight barrage of drones and missiles against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, killing six people — including a s...
Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to continue their ceasefire following several days of negotiations in Istanbul, mediated by Türkiye and Qatar, a...
U.S. President Donald Trump has set the refugee admissions ceiling for fiscal year 2026 at 7,500, the lowest in American history, according to a White House document published on Thursday (October 30). The move is part of a broader effort to reshape global refugee and asylum policies.
A U.S. court has reinstated a $185 million verdict against Bayer’s Monsanto unit over chemical contamination at a Washington state school, reviving a major case involving toxic substances.
Russia launched a large-scale overnight barrage of drones and missiles against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, killing six people — including a seven-year-old girl — and prompting nationwide power restrictions, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to continue their ceasefire following several days of negotiations in Istanbul, mediated by Türkiye and Qatar, according to a joint statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Thursday (October 30).
Nokia announced on Tuesday that chipmaker Nvidia will acquire a $1 billion stake in the company.
Reliable sources have confirmed to AnewZ that the United States has asked Azerbaijan to join a Stabilisation Force in Gaza, as part of a proposed international mission to secure the territory.
Centrist liberal party D66, led by 38-year-old Rob Jetten, has made sweeping gains in the Dutch election, emerging neck and neck with Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party (PVV) in early results — a stunning reversal just two years after D66 ranked sixth.
U.S. President Donald Trump agreed with President Xi Jinping to trim tariffs on China in exchange for Beijing cracking down on the illicit fentanyl trade, Trump said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that the most difficult situation on the front line remains the eastern city of Pokrovsk, where fighting continues to be most intense due to a strong concentration of Russian forces.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday warned that a prolonged government shutdown could cause severe disruptions to air travel during the busy Thanksgiving holiday period, urging Democrats to help pass legislation to reopen the government.
U.S. President Donald Trump has set the refugee admissions ceiling for fiscal year 2026 at 7,500, the lowest in American history, according to a White House document published on Thursday (October 30). The move is part of a broader effort to reshape global refugee and asylum policies.
A U.S. court has reinstated a $185 million verdict against Bayer’s Monsanto unit over chemical contamination at a Washington state school, reviving a major case involving toxic substances.
Russia launched a large-scale overnight barrage of drones and missiles against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, killing six people — including a seven-year-old girl — and prompting nationwide power restrictions, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to continue their ceasefire following several days of negotiations in Istanbul, mediated by Türkiye and Qatar, according to a joint statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Thursday (October 30).
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment