Siege of Timbuktu | |||||||
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Part of the Mali War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Mali Wagner Group (alleged by JNIM) | Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Assimi Goïta | Iyad Ag Ghaly |
The jihadist organisation Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) has imposed a complete blockade upon the city of Timbuktu, Mali since 8 August 2023.[1] Since the beginning of the siege, 33,000 have fled the city and the surrounding areas to other nearby localities, while 1,000 others have fled to Mauritania. Intense shelling of the city has occurred throughout the siege.[2] The blockade has sparked food and aid shortages in the city. The siege began after the withdrawal of MINUSMA, the United Nations mission to Mali during the Mali War.[3]