Fighters affiliated with al-Qaeda have blocked fuel deliveries to Mali’s capital for two months, bringing the city of Bamako to a standstill.

They’ve sealed off the highways that tankers use to transport fuel from neighbouring Senegal and the Ivory Coast. This has put pressure on the landlocked Sahel country and its military government.

The scale of the blockade, and its impact, show just how much influence the armed group wields. So, are al-Qaeda-linked fighters trying to take power in Mali? And what does that mean for the battle against armed groups in the Sahel region?

Presenter: Nick Clark

Guests:

Moussa Kondo – Executive director of the Sahel Institute

Oluwole Ojewale – Coordinator for West and Central Africa at the Institute for Security Studies

Nicolas Normand – France’s former ambassador to Mali, Senegal and the Republic of the Congo/Congo-Brazzaville