The troubles on several corridors serving Mali are starting to change the habits of regional transporters. Behind the calls to halt certain trips and the concerns voiced by professional organizations, the disruptions on trade routes now affect freight costs, delivery times, and the organisation of logistics chains linking Bamako to its main trading partners.

As a landlocked country, Mali depends heavily on regional road transport. The Dakar-Bamako corridor remains one of the main entry points for Malian imports. In 2024, about 2.6 million tonnes of goods destined for Mali transited through the port of Dakar, showing the economic weight of this route for the country’s supply. Security worries are now translating into concrete decisions by transporters. In Senegal, the Union of Road Transporters says at least eleven Senegalese trucks engaged on Mali runs have been burned in recent weeks. Professional organisations have called on drivers to reduce or suspend certain journeys, considering the risks are becoming economically unbearable.

The episode of 6 May heightened these concerns. Several commercial convoys were attacked on the road linking the Mauritanian border to Bamako. According to Moroccan union officials, more than fifteen Moroccan, Senegalese and Mauritanian trucks were targeted by armed groups. At least six Moroccan heavy goods vehicles were set on fire.

This event also had repercussions in Morocco, where many road transport operators are now more cautious about Mali-bound trips. For transport companies, the calculations are shifting fast: higher insurance premiums, vehicle immobilisation, increased security costs, and more detours reduce margins on routes that are already long and expensive.

The Guinea-Mali corridor is no longer spared. Since the attacks reported at the end of April on this major trade route, the movement of goods and passengers has slowed considerably. Yet this itinerary plays an important role in Mali’s logistics diversification, notably via the port of Conakry. The difficulties on this road limit the alternatives available when other corridors are under strain.

The consequences now go beyond transport companies alone. On several routes, drivers lengthen their waiting times before departure, some convoys travel in groups, and families remain without news of relatives who left on the road days ago. For businesses, each interruption increases storage costs, delays deliveries, and slows cross-border trade. When several corridors are disrupted at the same time, the Malian market’s supply, regional logistics delays, and transborder economic activity all feel the direct impact.

Three years after the security reorientation by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger — marked by a distancing from several Western partners and a closer alliance with Russia — security challenges continue to weigh on the Sahel. These difficulties now increasingly affect regional trade and movement along some major commercial axes. The repercussions are felt well beyond the borders of the Alliance of Sahel States: transport organisations in Senegal, Moroccan operators, and Mauritanian hauliers all express serious concerns about the risks on certain Malian roads.