Economic warfare in southern Mali

The report details the southward expansion of JNIM into Mali's Kayes and Koulikoro regions, where the group has significantly increased violence and fatalities since 2021. JNIM leverages illicit activities—including zakat taxation, cattle rustling, and the control of timber logging in the Baoulé forest—to fund its operations and gain local influence. The group further exploits social cleavages, such as farmer-herder conflicts and the persistence of hereditary slavery, to recruit members and undermine state authority. While the Malian government and its Wagner partners have made gains elsewhere, security forces in the south are described as overstretched and under-resourced, with varying levels of community trust.

• Violence in the Kayes and Koulikoro regions has increased sharply, with 229 violent events and 577 fatalities recorded between January 2021 and November 2023, compared to only four events and four fatalities in 2016.
• JNIM has established a strategic presence in the Baoulé forest, using it as a base for training camps and territorial control, while extending its influence into the cercles of Kita, Diema, Nara, Kati, Kolokani, and Banamba.
• The group funds itself through a system of zakat (taxes), often demanding cattle from herders; in some cases, JNIM fighters seize one cow out of every 25 counted.
• JNIM has effectively taken over the administration of timber logging in the Baoulé forest by removing state water and forestry agents and charging loggers protection fees to operate.
• Social vulnerabilities, specifically the lack of laws criminalising hereditary slavery in Mali, have been exploited by JNIM, with some descendants of slaves joining the group to restore their dignity.
• The group exploits long-standing farmer-herder conflicts, which are exacerbated by climate change and desertification, leading to the stigmatisation of Fulani communities as JNIM collaborators.
• While JNIM has not yet successfully controlled large-scale gold mining, it has targeted mining convoys and maintains an alliance with bandits who rob artisanal gold miners in the Kayes region.
• Malian security forces in the south face significant resource shortages, such as a lack of fuel for patrols and inadequate equipment, which hinders their ability to dislodge highly mobile JNIM units.

APA

Ani, N. C. (2023). Economic warfare in southern Mali. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-report-13-eng.pdf

Chicago

Ani, Ndubuisi Christian. Economic warfare in southern Mali. Institute for Security Studies, 2023. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-report-13-eng.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ani |first1=Ndubuisi Christian |title=Economic warfare in southern Mali |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=November 2023 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-report-13-eng.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ani2023economic, author = {Ani, Ndubuisi Christian}, title = {{Economic warfare in southern Mali}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-report-13-eng.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }