Mali’s economy is suffocating. For over two months, al-Qaeda-linked militants from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin—JNIM—have been ambushing fuel convoys on highways from Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire, torching more than 100 tankers and killing drivers.
 
Why are the jihadists doing this? When Mali's junta seized power five years ago, it pledged to end the Islamist extremist insurgency. With such a move, JNIM aims to destabilize Mali's government.