France on Friday, November 7 advised French nationals to temporarily leave Mali “as soon as possible,” as a jihadist blockade upends daily life in the capital Bamako and other regions of the west African country.

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 Côte d’Ivoire, through which the majority of Mali’s imported goods transit.

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.

“For several weeks, the security situation has been deteriorating in Mali, including in Bamako,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a travel advisory. “French nationals are advised to plan a temporary departure from Mali as soon as possible on the commercial flights still available,” it said, adding that “travel by land remains inadvisable, as national roads are currently the target of attacks by terrorist groups.”

Contacted by AFP, the ministry was not able to specify if the directive also applied to embassy staff.

On Thursday, ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux said that France was following the deteriorating security situation in Mali “with great attention and genuine concern,” but that France’s diplomatic presence “remains unchanged” with the embassy open.

Last week, the United States and Britain announced the evacuation of their “non-essential” personnel and their families because of the deteriorating situation. France’s announcement came as the Geneva-based shipping group MSC said it was halting its operations in Mali, citing the fuel blockade and deteriorating security.