Belgians in Mali are advised to leave the country immediately. All travel to the African country is also strongly discouraged in updated travel advisory issued by the Belgian Foreign Ministry. Last weekend, terrorist groups attacked several strategic targets, mainly in the capital, Bamako.
As a result, the security situation is extremely unstable. Tuareg rebels and the jihadists of JNIM, a terrorist organisation linked to Al-Qaeda, carried out a series of attacks on various targets last weekend. As the situation remains unstable, the Belgian Foreign Ministry is calling on all Belgians still in Mali to leave the country.
The airport was temporarily closed over the weekend but has since reopened. Some flights have resumed. A curfew is in place between 9 pm and 6 am, but travellers are permitted to move about if they have a flight. The Belgian Foreign Ministry advises nationals to check with their airline in advance to confirm that the flight is going ahead. Leaving Mali by road is strongly discouraged.
Anyone deciding to remain in the country must strictly limit their movements, observe the curfew and register on Travellers Online. In an emergency, nationals can contact the embassy. The Foreign Ministry also reminds travellers that the ongoing energy crisis is affecting air traffic.
Mali has been grappling with jihadist violence for over a decade. However, since the junta seized power in 2020, the number of attacks by jihadists and the Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) has reached unprecedented levels.