MSC resumes operations in Mali

GENEVA : The Geneva-based MSC shipping group is resuming operations in Mali just days after announcing a halt due to the country’s extremist-led fuel blockade and deteriorated security situation.

For weeks, extremists from the JNIM, an al-Qaeda-linked Group, have imposed the fuel blockade, which has paralyzed the landlocked Sahelian country’s economy.

MSC, one of the world’s largest shippers, announced Thursday that road transportation for cargo destined for Mali was “temporarily suspended” and that the company would no longer accept bookings for Mali. On Monday, the Italian-Swiss giant reversed course after an agreement with the Malian government.

“Following our fruitful discussions, we are very pleased to inform you of the resumption of our activities, thus suspending the statement of November 6,” MSC Mali’s management said in a letter addressed to the Malian minister of transport.

Last week, the French shipping company CMA-CGM, the world’s third-largest, also announced the suspension of its operations in Mali before reversing course after reaching an agreement with authorities.

Mali’s fuel shortages have resulted in the closure of schools for two weeks, prevented harvesting in several regions and undermined access to electricity.

The ruling military junta, which seized power in back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, had promised to stem the extremist insurgency that has plagued the country for more than a decade.