Mali dismisses fears of terrorist takeover of capital after fuel import blockade

Mali's foreign minister has dismissed as implausible the notion that terrorists could soon take the capital, in the first extensive government response to security fears that have spurred Western countries to urge their citizens to leave.

The landlocked West African country is battling al Qaeda-linked terrorists JNIM, who in September announced what they described as a fuel blockade that has led to long lines at petrol stations in the capital and temporarily forced schools to close.

Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop told a press conference late on Wednesday that Mali was successfully mitigating the effects of the fuel blockade and that JNIM was "no match" for the security forces.

"We are very far from the scenario being described to you outside our country, saying that the terrorists are here, they are in Bamako, they are going to take this, that," he said. "We are not at all in that scenario."

‘Wake up’

Those making such predictions "need to wake up from their dreams," he said.

The African Union on November 9 called for an urgent international response to worsening security conditions, and Western countries, including the U.S., France, Britain and Italy, urged their citizens to leave.

Diop said the African Union's call for an international response, including intelligence-sharing, reflected a poor understanding of conditions on the ground.

Many schools have reopened since Monday, and Bamako is hosting a defence exhibition featuring some Turkish defence firms.

Minister Diop said he respected "the choice of certain countries that have asked their nationals to leave" but stressed that Mali remains welcoming to foreigners.

ECOWAS relations

The military-led governments of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have withdrawn from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, distanced themselves from Western allies and turned to Russia for military support.

Diop said relations with the U.S. were improving under the Trump administration and that the two countries were engaged in "dialogue" on security and economic issues, without providing details.