Dozens of vehicles burnt as Mali jihadists enforce blockade

Nasa's satellite-based platform Firms - which detects heat sources on Earth's surface – also detected a heat signature at the same location on Tuesday.The fuel blockade is intended to suffocate Mali's economy and weaken the legitimacy of the military leaders in power, experts say.Mali is currently led by Gen Assimi Goïta, who first seized power in a coup in 2020, promising to restore security and push back the armed groups.In January, he appointed 47-year-old Brig Gen Famouké Camara to head a special operation to counter the fuel blockade, but attacks on fuel convoys have continued.Before the latest attack, the fuel crisis resulting from the blockade had appeared to be easing.The junta had popular support when it seized power five years ago, promising to deal with the long-running security crisis, prompted by a separatist rebellion in the north, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants like JNIM.The junta has however struggled to contain the deadly insurgency despite the support of Russian mercenaries, making much of the north and east of the country ungovernable.Last month, ethnic Tuareg separatists and JNIM launched coordinated attacks on major towns and cities across the country, leading to the death of Defence Minister Sadio Camara after an apparent suicide truck bombing on residence near the capital.