The National Union of Drivers and Truck Drivers of Mali ( Synacor ) announced on Monday, February 10, 2026, the immediate suspension of all transport activities between Bamako and the Senegalese border. This protest follows the brutal massacre of a fuel convoy at the end of January.

The drivers' cry of anger

The union is demanding first and foremost the repatriation of the bodies of their colleagues, abandoned on the side of the road between Diboli and Kayes.

"Unloading activities and all other operations are suspended until further notice. We will resume work as soon as a solution is found for our colleagues left on the tarmac," insisted Aboubacar Coulibaly, communications officer for Synacor.

A recap of the facts: An unprecedented carnage

On January 29th, a convoy of tankers was the target of an exceptionally violent attack in the west of the country:

1. Human toll: Between 15 and 18 drivers executed.
2. Material damage: Dozens of tanker trucks destroyed by the flames.
3. Method of operation: According to security sources, the victims were executed at close range, while blindfolded.

An intensifying terrorist threat

This attack is attributed to the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) , an Al-Qaeda affiliate. While fuel convoys are regularly targeted to cripple the Malian economy, the group has crossed a new threshold of horror.

Last November, JNIM officially declared that tanker truck drivers were now considered "military targets." This systematic killing confirms the implementation of this threat, marking a break with past methods where human losses were less systematic.

Immediate consequences

The blockade of the Bamako-Kayes-Diboli axis, vital for the supply of the country, risks weighing heavily on a Malian economy already weakened by successive jihadist blockades.