France issues travel alert, asks nationals to leave Mali

The French government has urged all French nationals in Mali to temporarily leave the West African country.

This followed a two-month-old fuel blockade by al Qaeda-linked militants that has paralysed Bamako, the nation’s capital.

The French foreign ministry, in a travel advisory on Friday, November 7, 2025, recommended that French nationals leave Mali “as soon as possible” through commercial flights and not by land, warning that main roads have been targeted by “terrorist groups”.

The ministry also reiterated its formal advice against travelling to the African country “regardless of the reason”.

The al Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has since September been targeting fuel tankers, particularly those coming from Senegal and Ivory Coast, through which the majority of Mali’s imported goods transit.

France’s announcement comes a day after the foreign ministry in Paris told a press briefing that insecurity in Mali showed the country’s decision to turn to Russia and Moscow-linked armed groups for security assistance had proven to be a failure.

Mali shuts schools for 2 weeks over fuel crisis

“We are following the security situation in Mali with a great deal of attention and genuine concern,” foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux told reporters on Thursday.

“What I could add is that we can see that the contested presence of Russia, or forces associated with it in Mali, does not in any way ensure the security of Malian women and men,” Confavreux added.

Since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021 that led to the end of France’s military presence, Mali has been ruled by a military junta that is struggling to counter various armed groups including the JNIM.

Last week, the United States and Britain announced the evacuation of their “non-essential” personnel and their families because of the deteriorating situation.

The Geneva-based shipping group MSC on Friday said it was halting its operations in Mali, citing the fuel blockade and deteriorating security.

The Star