Timbuktu under siege: Jihadist fighters block roads, cut off supplies
Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM)
The ancient city of Timbuktu in Mali has reportedly been under a blockade by Islamist militants for several days.
As per AFP, local officials reported on Monday that the jihadists "have blocked all the roads," effectively sealing off all roads in and out of the northern city, situated on the fringes of the Sahara desert.
What's happening in Timbuktu?
Speaking to the news agency on the condition of anonymity, a local lawmaker revealed that "Nothing is getting through between Timbuktu and the south," and that the jihadists had blocked all connections along the nearby Niger River.
"Everything's expensive in Timbuktu because products are no longer getting into the city. The jihadists have blocked the roads. It's really difficult," a city hall official told AFP.
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Prices skyrocket
The situation has led to severe disruptions in the Timbuktu's supply lines and has also resulted in significant price increases.
As per a petrol station owner, the price of petrol surged from "845 CFA francs (around $1.40) to 1,250 CFA francs in a week".
A war
As per AFP, earlier this month, messages on social media attributed to a commander fromGroup to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM)— which has linkages toAl Qaeda —announced that it had "declared war" on the Timbuktu region.
These messages reportedly warned trucks from Algeria, Mauritania, and other regional locations from entering Timbuktu and threatened to target any vehicles that fail to heed the 'warning'.
Theseseries of threats come as the United Nations peacekeeping mission MINUSMA for Mali expedited withdrawal from a base in the country's northern regions. This was doneciting heightened security risks.
Mali, which has witnessed three coups in the past decade, is currently under the rule of a military junta that has been pressing for the departure of the MINUSMA UN mission which commenced in 2013 following the 2012 separatist and jihadist rebellions in the northern part of the nation.
MINUSMA has already handed over control of two bases near Timbuktu to Malian authorities. In spite of the UNcompliancewith the Junta's demand, the region remains plagued by unrest, reports AFP.
Currently, the UN mission is maintaining a camp within Timbuktu. However, its troops are slated to withdraw from the city by the end of this year.
(With inputs from agencies)
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