Sky Mali, the sole commercial airline servicing Timbuktu in the interior of Mali, has halted its flights due to safety concerns, as announced on Monday. This exacerbates the isolation of the northern city, which has been under an Islamist blockade for a month. Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage site and an ancient trading hub on the Sahara desert's fringe, has been experiencing a scarcity of food and aid supplies since mid-August when a local al Qaeda affiliate blocked road and river access. Residents reported hearing shell fire near the city's airport on Monday morning. Sky Mali subsequently announced that it had suspended all flights to and from Timbuktu indefinitely due to a security alert.
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Mohamed Ag Hamaleck, a resident, confirmed hearing several shell shots at Timbuktu airport and stated that flights had been canceled. He added that Timbuktu was now completely cut off as access roads were blocked and boats were no longer arriving. The city has been plagued by violence since it was freed from militants by French forces in 2013. The Islamists later regrouped and expanded their operations from northern Mali to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
The European Union reported last week that the blockade had spread to other areas in the Timbuktu region, including Rharous, Niafounké, Gundam, Diré, Tonka, Ber, and Léré. The EU's humanitarian branch ECHO noted that civilians were unable to access essential products and basic social services.
Mali's security situation has worsened over the past year after the country's military leaders expelled French troops, requested United Nations' peacekeepers to depart, and collaborated with Russian private military contractors Wagner Group. An al Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a military base in northeastern Mali last Friday. This came a day after authorities attributed a dual assault on another military camp and a boat that resulted in over 60 fatalities to the same group.