• France advises nationals to leave Mali immediately as a jihadist blockade intensifies.
• The blockade, imposed by the al-Qaeda-linked JNIM, affects fuel deliveries and daily life.
• Mali's military junta struggles to address the escalating security crisis.

France's Foreign Ministry has issued a travel advisory urging French citizens in Mali to depart "as soon as possible" due to a worsening security situation stemming from a blockade imposed by the jihadist group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). This blockade has caused significant disruptions in daily life in the capital Bamako and other regions since it began in September, largely affecting fuel supplies essential for the country's operations, according to BBC, Al Jazeera, and Le Monde.

The JNIM group has specifically been targeting fuel tankers that transport goods from neighboring Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire, heavily relying on these routes due to Mali's landlocked geography. This blockade has led to significant impacts such as school closures, power outages, and has hampered the government's ability to maintain control, reflecting a deteriorating situation for the military junta that has governed since a series of coups in 2020 and 2021, as noted by BBC and Le Monde.

Moreover, the French Foreign Ministry emphasized the urgency of the situation, advising citizens to utilize available commercial flights for departure while discouraging any land travel due to ongoing attacks on national roads. The ministry expressed serious concern about the safety of French nationals in light of the blockade's impact on daily essentials, which has sparked fears of broader instability in Mali, according to Al Jazeera and Le Monde.

As the situation escalates, both the United States and Britain have similarly begun evacuating non-essential staff from their missions in Mali, citing safety concerns. This reinforces the narrative of increasing disarray within Mali as the junta, which has distanced itself from Western military partnerships, continues to grapple with the JNIM's advances, as reported by BBC and Al Jazeera.