Siege of Timbuktu

Siege of Timbuktu
Part of the Mali War
Date8 August 2023 (2023-08-08) – present
(1 year, 3 months, 2 weeks and 2 days)
Location
Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Mali Mali
Wagner Group (alleged by JNIM)
Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin
Commanders and leaders
Mali Assimi Goïta Iyad Ag Ghaly

The jihadist organisation Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) has imposed a complete blockade upon the city of Timbuktu, Mali since 8 August 2023.[1] Since the beginning of the siege, 33,000 have fled the city and the surrounding areas to other nearby localities, while 1,000 others have fled to Mauritania. Intense shelling of the city has occurred throughout the siege.[2] The blockade has sparked food and aid shortages in the city. The siege began after the withdrawal of MINUSMA, the United Nations mission to Mali during the Mali War.[3]

  1. ^ "In Mali, Timbuktu grapples with resurgent jihadist threat". Archived from the original on 2023-09-14. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  2. ^ "Mali's ancient city Timbuktu under siege again". Archived from the original on 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  3. ^ "Islamist Blockade on Timbuktu Stops Food and Aid as Prices Spike". 2023-08-28. Archived from the original on 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2023-09-14.