Gambiaj.com – (BAMAKO, Mali) – At least 15 fuel tankers were burned on Saturday near Bougouni in southern Mali, marking a sharp resurgence in jihadist attacks on fuel convoys after several days of relative calm. The assault, carried out on 6 December, was claimed by the al-Qaeda–affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM).

According to local witnesses, a convoy of tanker trucks escorted by the Malian army came under ambush just 160 kilometres from Bamako. While part of the convoy managed to return to the capital, the attackers set multiple trucks ablaze. Witnesses confirmed the authenticity of widely circulated images showing thick plumes of black smoke rising from the scene.

The attack ends nearly two weeks of respite which had eased pressure on fuel supplies in Bamako, where service stations had begun to recover from shortages caused by previous ambushes on supply routes.

Renewed Violence Raises Questions Over Possible Truce

The resumption of attacks has reignited speculation about the existence, and possible collapse, of a temporary, informal truce between Malian authorities and jihadist groups. Several sources have suggested that JNIM and the government had reached a short-term agreement to halt hostilities in exchange for unspecified concessions.

Officials in Bamako have neither confirmed nor denied the reported arrangement.

Saturday’s ambush raises concerns about whether JNIM intends to escalate pressure on government forces and disrupt fuel distribution, a tactic that has previously caused widespread economic and social strain in the capital.

As security forces assess the full extent of the damage, the latest attack underscores the persistent vulnerability of strategic supply routes in southern Malian area that had long been considered less exposed to jihadist operations.