These factions such as the so-called Support Group for Islam and Muslims (Jnim), the affiliate of Al Qaeda in the Sahel, claimed responsibility for the latest attacks against convoys bringing fuel from neighboring Senegal.

Now Jnim is trying to cut off the arrival in the Malian capital of vital resources, in order to provoke panic among the population.

Political observers stressed that Mali, being a landlocked country, is vulnerable to such actions because it depends on imports from Senegal and Ivory Coast for essential goods, including fuel and cement.

Modibo Mao Makalou , an economic specialist, warned that the blockade could have crippling consequences as Senegal is a major source of supplies for this nation.

Recently, the so-called Jnim, said to have seized two Malian Army posts in the area of Wabaria, in the area of Gao and Douentza, in the southeast of the country.

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