Since September, blockades have been multiplying across Mali, carried out by jihadists from the JNIM, the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims. The jihadists are imposing a fuel blockade that has paralysed the landlocked Sahel country’s economy. The resulting unrest and violence have sent refugees fleeing westwards into Mauritania. We speak with Oluwole Ojewale, co-ordinator for West and Central Africa at the Institute for Security Studies.