British News Agency

In its travel advisory released on Friday, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated: “The security situation in Mali has been deteriorating for several weeks. French citizens are advised to temporarily leave Mali as soon as possible using the remaining passenger flights.”

The advisory also warned against traveling by road, citing unsafe conditions.

The Swiss transport company MSC announced on Thursday that it plans to suspend its operations in Mali due to the worsening security situation and disruptions in fuel shipments through the country.

“Due to major operational challenges related to security and fuel shortages, we are temporarily suspending our road freight operations to Mali until further notice,” MSC said in a statement. The company added that it would not accept new bookings to Mali until the situation is resolved.

The terrorist group Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), an affiliate of ISIS, recently blocked fuel shipments to Mali’s capital, Bamako, causing major disruptions in the city’s economy. As Mali is a landlocked country, most fuel shipments are carried out by road.

The United States and Italy also advised their citizens last week to avoid travel to Mali. On Thursday, terrorists kidnapped five Indian nationals in the western part of the country.