Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – The Union of Road Transporters in Senegal has ordered an immediate suspension of cargo transport to Mali following a wave of attacks by the jihadist group Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) targeting commercial convoys along the Dakar-Bamako corridor.
The decision, announced by the union’s secretary general, Gora Khouma, comes after at least 11 Senegalese trucks were reportedly burned since the end of April, when militants intensified operations following an offensive near the Malian town of Kati.
In remarks carried by RFI, Khouma instructed drivers currently in Senegal not to embark on trips to Mali until the security situation improves. He also urged those already on the road to either return home or stop immediately.
“If they can return, they should do so. If they cannot return, they should stop,” Khouma said, warning that transporters could no longer continue operating under the constant threat of ambushes and arson attacks.
The boycott threatens to disrupt the supply of essential goods to Mali just days before Tabaski, the Muslim festival during which demand for food commodities traditionally rises sharply.
Mali relies heavily on Senegal’s Port of Dakar for the importation of basic products such as rice, sugar, flour, and cooking oil. These goods are largely transported overland by Senegalese trucking companies along the Dakar-Bamako route.
The union said its members were caught in a conflict beyond their control, stressing that Senegalese truckers are private sector workers with no involvement in Mali’s political or military affairs.
Khouma acknowledged that the suspension would have severe economic consequences for transporters themselves, describing the cross-border trade as their primary source of income.
“We really have an interest in doing this transport because it is our livelihood,” he said, while insisting that the repeated attacks had made the risks unbearable.
The transport union further noted that the close geographic, economic, and family ties between Senegal and Mali made the situation especially painful. However, it maintained that the safety of drivers must take precedence over regional solidarity and commercial interests.
The Dakar-Bamako corridor is one of West Africa’s most important trade routes, linking landlocked Mali to Senegal’s Atlantic port infrastructure. Increasing insecurity in Mali has in recent years posed growing challenges to regional commerce and the movement of goods across the Sahel.
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