Militants Weaponise Hunger in Mali

Islamist militants are attempting to gain control of territory in Mali. The terrorists have resorted to destroying crops to force the local population to either join them or flee.

By ACN Staff

Crowds welcome aid workers in Mali. (Credit: European Commission DG ECHO/Cyprien Fabre)

An ongoing civil war in Mali has given an opportunity for Islamist militant groups to attempt to seize control of territory in the West African country. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) managed to speak with sources on the ground about the current situation. For their safety, these sources will not be named. The sources explained that the Islamist groups such as Katiba Macina and as Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, who are particularly active in central Mali, certainly have extreme religious motivations. The sources explain further:

Refugees in Mali. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

“The Jihadists are acting in the name of religion. Everything that does not conform to their own ideology suffers as a result. That is why there are so many refugees…It is impossible to deny that it is about religion…The desire to impose Islamic Sharia law is proof that the Jihadists, especially those of the Katiba Macina, are working for the expansion of a radical Islam of a kind that many other Muslims do not share.”

It was estimated at the end of September 2021 that 400,000 Malians have been displaced. Christians make up a small minority of Mali’s population, at just over 2%. The Catholic Church is providing humanitarian with the assistance of ACN. Christians have been specifically targeted by the Islamists as our sources explained:

“There are villages where it is impossible to go and celebrate Holy Mass. The Christian faithful have to be very careful about how they practise their faith. Even where they are not the direct target of physical attacks, the verbal attacks launched against them during the preaching of some of the imams, who share the jihadist ideology, are incessant. And there are also frequent direct personal threats, for example anonymous threatening telephone calls. All this is creating a psychosis within the Christian communities.”

The Islamists have also weaponised hunger. The militants have prevented farmers from harvesting their crops and have even burned crops in the fields. This an attempt to cause a deliberate famine to force the local people to either join the Islamists’ ranks or leave their land so it can be controlled by the militants. The situation has only escalated in the last few months. Please join us in prayer for peace in Mali.