An Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist group in troubled Mali on Thursday (Apr 30) called for a broad coalition to bring down the Junta government while simultaneously tightening a road blockade that is strangling supply routes into the capital Bamako. The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, known by its French acronym JNIM, issued a statement late Thursday calling on "all sincere patriots, without exception, to rise up and unite our forces in a common front" to "bring down the junta" and pursue what it described as "a peaceful and inclusive transition."Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/fact-check-india-s-lpg-atf-prices-hiked-all-we-know-strait-of-hormuz-iran-war-1777607068757">Fact Check: India's LPG, ATF prices hiked? All we know</a><h2>JNIM rallies for a "common front" against the Junta</h2>JNIM's appeal was addressed to political parties, the national armed forces, religious authorities, traditional leaders and "all components of Malian society". The call followed coordinated weekend attacks by JNIM and Tuareg separatist groups against junta-held positions. Notably, Mali's defence minister Sadio Camara was killed in the strikes. His state funeral was held on Thursday under tight security in Bamako. Thousands attended, including junta leader Assimi Goita.JNIM had earlier announced a blockade of roads leading into Bamako and the nearby town of Kati, a junta stronghold, threatening severe reprisals against anyone travelling those routes. The only exception, a spokesperson said, was for people already in Bamako who wished to leave. "The only concession is being made for those already in Bamako to allow them to leave."Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pakistan-commissions-chinese-submarine-fleet-why-has-islamabad-named-its-newest-attack-submarine-hangor-1971-war-1777601966882">Pakistan commissions Chinese submarine fleet: Why has Islamabad named its newest attack submarine Hangor?</a><h2>Blockade chokes Mali capital</h2>The effects were visible by Thursday, reports AFP. Hundreds of passenger vehicles and goods trucks were stranded at multiple entry points into the capital, with drivers reporting they had been waiting since Wednesday with no clear indication of when movement would resume. "There are at least a hundred vehicles parked here as far as the eye can see," one lorry driver told AFP from the border town of Kouremale. "We're waiting for things to settle down, but anxiety is mounting."The blockade is hitting Mali's economy at a critical point. The country is landlocked and heavily dependent on road corridors running through neighbouring Ivory Coast, Senegal and Guinea for fuel and goods. On the road to Sikasso, a key route connecting Mali to Ivorian ports, including Abidjan, a number of drivers had been killed in violent incidents reported the news agency. However, the claim could not be independently verified. Air traffic into Bamako has not been affected.

Mali’s crisis seems to be entering a dangerous new phase as an Al-Qaeda-linked group calls for a united front to topple the Junta government. JNIM has also tightened the blockade around Bamako, threatening to choke vital supply lines into the capital. Scroll down for reas more.

An Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist group in troubled Mali on Thursday (Apr 30) called for a broad coalition to bring down the Junta government while simultaneously tightening a road blockade that is strangling supply routes into the capital Bamako. The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, known by its French acronym JNIM, issued a statement late Thursday calling on "all sincere patriots, without exception, to rise up and unite our forces in a common front" to "bring down the junta" and pursue what it described as "a peaceful and inclusive transition." Also read | Fact Check: India's LPG, ATF prices hiked? All we know JNIM rallies for a "common front" against the Junta JNIM's appeal was addressed to political parties, the national armed forces, religious authorities, traditional leaders and "all components of Malian society". The call followed coordinated weekend attacks by JNIM and Tuareg separatist groups against junta-held positions. Notably, Mali's defence minister Sadio Camara was killed in the strikes. His state funeral was held on Thursday under tight security in Bamako. Thousands attended, including junta leader Assimi Goita. JNIM had earlier announced a blockade of roads leading into Bamako and the nearby town of Kati, a junta stronghold, threatening severe reprisals against anyone travelling those routes. The only exception, a spokesperson said, was for people already in Bamako who wished to leave. "The only concession is being made for those already in Bamako to allow them to leave." Also read | Pakistan commissions Chinese submarine fleet: Why has Islamabad named its newest attack submarine Hangor? Blockade chokes Mali capital The effects were visible by Thursday, reports AFP. Hundreds of passenger vehicles and goods trucks were stranded at multiple entry points into the capital, with drivers reporting they had been waiting since Wednesday with no clear indication of when movement would resume. "There are at least a hundred vehicles parked here as far as the eye can see," one lorry driver told AFP from the border town of Kouremale. "We're waiting for things to settle down, but anxiety is mounting." The blockade is hitting Mali's economy at a critical point. The country is landlocked and heavily dependent on road corridors running through neighbouring Ivory Coast, Senegal and Guinea for fuel and goods. On the road to Sikasso, a key route connecting Mali to Ivorian ports, including Abidjan, a number of drivers had been killed in violent incidents reported the news agency. However, the claim could not be independently verified. Air traffic into Bamako has not been affected.

Mali’s crisis seems to be entering a dangerous new phase as an Al-Qaeda-linked group calls for a united front to topple the Junta government. JNIM has also tightened the blockade around Bamako, threatening to choke vital supply lines into the capital. Scroll down for reas more.

Al-Qaeda linked group calls for united front against Mali's military junta as blockade chokes capital Bamako

The US Embassy has urged its citizens to leave Mali due to growing instability and inter-communal tensions. Authorities warn of escalating security risks, particularly for foreigners in urban and rural areas.
The advisory comes amid ongoing political unrest and violent incidents, highlighting the need for vigilance and preparedness for travelers.

Crisis In Mali: U.S. Embassy Urges Citizens to Leave Mali Amid Rising Instability

Thousands marched on the streets of Mali's capital to celebrate the overthrow of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, as the West African nation's political opposition backed the military’s junta plan to eventually hand over power to a civilian transitional government.

Thousands of Malians celebrated the coup in Bamako

Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita resigned on Tuesday and dissolved parliament hours after mutinying soldiers detained him at gunpoint, plunging a country already facing a jihadist insurgency and mass protests deeper into crisis.

Looking tired and wearing a surgical mask, Keita resigned in a brief address broadcast on state television after troops seized him along with Prime Minister Boubou Cisse and other top officials.

"If today, certain elements of our armed forces want this to end through their intervention, do I really have a choice?" he said from a military base in Kati outside the capital Bamako where he had been detained earlier in the day.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mali-president-keita-detained-by-soldiers-report-321555" hreflang="en">Mali President Keita detained by soldiers: Report</a>

It was not immediately clear who was leading the revolt, who would govern in Keita's absence or what the mutineers wanted.

Images posted earlier on social media said to be taken at the Kati garrison showed Keita and Cisse surrounded by armed soldiers. Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the videos.

Mali has seen months of protests against alleged corruption and worsening security in the West African country where Islamist militants are active, and there have been calls for Keita to resign.

The M5-RFP coalition behind the protests signalled support for the mutineers' action, with spokesman Nouhoum Togo telling Reuters it was "not a military coup but a popular insurrection".

Hundreds of anti-government protesters poured into a central square in Bamako to celebrate and cheer the mutineers as they drove through in military vehicles and fired rounds of celebratory gunfire.

A mutiny in 2012 at the same Kati base led to a military coup that toppled then-President Amadou Toumani Toure and hastened the fall of Mali's north to jihadist militants.

French forces intervened the following year to beat them back. But the militants have since regrouped and expanded their influence into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, attacking soldiers, civilians and Western tourists.

Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita resigned on Tuesday and dissolved parliament hours after mutinying soldiers detained him at gunpoint, plunging a country already facing a jihadist insurgency and mass protests deeper into crisis.

Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita resigned on Tuesday and dissolved parliament hours after mutinying soldiers detained him at gunpoint, plunging a country already facing a jihadist insurgency and mass protests deeper into crisis. Looking tired and wearing a surgical mask, Keita resigned in a brief address broadcast on state television after troops seized him along with Prime Minister Boubou Cisse and other top officials. "If today, certain elements of our armed forces want this to end through their intervention, do I really have a choice?" he said from a military base in Kati outside the capital Bamako where he had been detained earlier in the day. Also read: Mali President Keita detained by soldiers: Report It was not immediately clear who was leading the revolt, who would govern in Keita's absence or what the mutineers wanted. Images posted earlier on social media said to be taken at the Kati garrison showed Keita and Cisse surrounded by armed soldiers. Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the videos. Mali has seen months of protests against alleged corruption and worsening security in the West African country where Islamist militants are active, and there have been calls for Keita to resign. The M5-RFP coalition behind the protests signalled support for the mutineers' action, with spokesman Nouhoum Togo telling Reuters it was "not a military coup but a popular insurrection". Hundreds of anti-government protesters poured into a central square in Bamako to celebrate and cheer the mutineers as they drove through in military vehicles and fired rounds of celebratory gunfire. A mutiny in 2012 at the same Kati base led to a military coup that toppled then-President Amadou Toumani Toure and hastened the fall of Mali's north to jihadist militants. French forces intervened the following year to beat them back. But the militants have since regrouped and expanded their influence into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, attacking soldiers, civilians and Western tourists.

Mali president resigns after detention by military, deepening crisis

Forty people, including nine soldiers, have been killed in a spate of attacks in central Mali, authorities said Friday, with most of the deaths caused by inter-ethnic violence in the deeply troubled region.

Thirty-one people were killed in an attack overnight in Ogossagou, a village mainly inhabited by Fulani people where 160 died last March in a massacre blamed on Dogon militiamen, the government said, raising the death toll.

About 30 gunmen carried out the new attack, village chief Aly Ousmane Barry told AFP.

"Huts and crops were set alight, livestock was burned or taken away," he added, vowing that the government would find the perpetrators.

A local government official, who requested anonymity, had earlier said that 28 people were missing.

He blamed the attack on a Dogon hunters' group -- an assertion that could be not be verified independently.

The official and village chief Aly Ousmane Barry both said the attackers moved in several hours after government troops had pulled out of the area.

Eight soldiers killed in ambush&nbsp;

Later Friday eight Mali soldiers were killed and four others injured in an ambush in the central Gao region, the army said.

The Malian force also suffered "material damage," the military said on social media sites, without indicating who had carried out the attack in the village of Bentia.

Also on Friday a soldier was killed in an attack on a military camp in Mondoro, also in central Mali, security officials said.

The camp had already been hit before -- as part of a joint raid by militants that also targeted the military camp of Boulkessy near the border with Burkina Faso, killing at least 25 soldiers.

Central Mali became gripped by ethnic violence after a jihadist revolt broke out in the north of the country in 2012.

The insurgency has claimed thousands of lives and spread to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso. &nbsp;

Tit-for-tat attacks in central Mali flared after Fulani people, also called Peul, became associated with jihadists.

Led by a firebrand Islamic preacher Amadou Koufa, a militia called the Katiba Macina recruited members from among the Fulani and has been accused of ethnically-motivated attacks.

Other ethnic groups such as the Bambara or the Dogon began to form self-defence groups that have been accused of reprisal massacres.

In addition to the latest attack at Ogossagou, 14 Fulani were killed in central Mali in January.

Around 75 Dogons were killed in the villages of Sobane Da, Gangafani and Yoro in June last year, in an attack blamed on Fulani militants.

'Epicentre' of violence

Human Rights Watch this month pointed to the ethnic patchwork of central Mali as the country's "epicentre" of violence.

It said over 450 civilians had been killed in the region in 2019, "the deadliest year for civilians" since the jihadist insurgency began.

Reflecting the chronic instability, Malian soldiers are themselves frequently targeted.

On January 26, Al-Qaeda-linked militants attacked a military camp in Sokolo, central Mali, killing 20 gendarmes and wounding five more.

The violence in central Mali coincides with renewed hopes that the fragile government can reassert control over the largely lawless north.

Troops returned on Thursday to Kidal, a northern town that had been a bastion of Tuareg rebels, after a six-year absence.

Regular forces returned to the town accompanied by former rebels who have been integrated into the army under a regional peace agreement.

The deal, reached in Algiers in 2015, is considered one of the few avenues Mali has for escaping the cycle of violence.

Forty people, including nine soldiers, have been killed in a spate of attacks in central Mali, authorities said Friday, with most of the deaths caused by inter-ethnic violence in the deeply troubled region.

Forty people, including nine soldiers, have been killed in a spate of attacks in central Mali, authorities said Friday, with most of the deaths caused by inter-ethnic violence in the deeply troubled region. Thirty-one people were killed in an attack overnight in Ogossagou, a village mainly inhabited by Fulani people where 160 died last March in a massacre blamed on Dogon militiamen, the government said, raising the death toll. About 30 gunmen carried out the new attack, village chief Aly Ousmane Barry told AFP. "Huts and crops were set alight, livestock was burned or taken away," he added, vowing that the government would find the perpetrators. A local government official, who requested anonymity, had earlier said that 28 people were missing. He blamed the attack on a Dogon hunters' group -- an assertion that could be not be verified independently. The official and village chief Aly Ousmane Barry both said the attackers moved in several hours after government troops had pulled out of the area. Eight soldiers killed in ambush Later Friday eight Mali soldiers were killed and four others injured in an ambush in the central Gao region, the army said. The Malian force also suffered "material damage," the military said on social media sites, without indicating who had carried out the attack in the village of Bentia. Also on Friday a soldier was killed in an attack on a military camp in Mondoro, also in central Mali, security officials said. The camp had already been hit before -- as part of a joint raid by militants that also targeted the military camp of Boulkessy near the border with Burkina Faso, killing at least 25 soldiers. Central Mali became gripped by ethnic violence after a jihadist revolt broke out in the north of the country in 2012. The insurgency has claimed thousands of lives and spread to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso. Tit-for-tat attacks in central Mali flared after Fulani people, also called Peul, became associated with jihadists. Led by a firebrand Islamic preacher Amadou Koufa, a militia called the Katiba Macina recruited members from among the Fulani and has been accused of ethnically-motivated attacks. Other ethnic groups such as the Bambara or the Dogon began to form self-defence groups that have been accused of reprisal massacres. In addition to the latest attack at Ogossagou, 14 Fulani were killed in central Mali in January. Around 75 Dogons were killed in the villages of Sobane Da, Gangafani and Yoro in June last year, in an attack blamed on Fulani militants. 'Epicentre' of violence Human Rights Watch this month pointed to the ethnic patchwork of central Mali as the country's "epicentre" of violence. It said over 450 civilians had been killed in the region in 2019, "the deadliest year for civilians" since the jihadist insurgency began. Reflecting the chronic instability, Malian soldiers are themselves frequently targeted. On January 26, Al-Qaeda-linked militants attacked a military camp in Sokolo, central Mali, killing 20 gendarmes and wounding five more. The violence in central Mali coincides with renewed hopes that the fragile government can reassert control over the largely lawless north. Troops returned on Thursday to Kidal, a northern town that had been a bastion of Tuareg rebels, after a six-year absence. Regular forces returned to the town accompanied by former rebels who have been integrated into the army under a regional peace agreement. The deal, reached in Algiers in 2015, is considered one of the few avenues Mali has for escaping the cycle of violence.

40 killed in attacks in restive central Mali

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Al-Qaeda linked group calls for united front against Mali's military junta as blockade chokes capital Bamako

Crisis In Mali: U.S. Embassy Urges Citizens to Leave Mali Amid Rising Instability

Thousands of Malians celebrated the coup in Bamako

Mali president resigns after detention by military, deepening crisis

40 killed in attacks in restive central Mali