Mali bans civilians from 40 forests in anti-jihadist push

The Malian junta has taken a new step in its territorial reconquest strategy. A ministerial decree published on June 5, 2026, establishes military interest zones covering about forty forests across the country. These areas, now reserved for operations by the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), are strictly off-limits to any civilian presence. The measure explicitly targets presumed sanctuaries of jihadist groups affiliated with the Islamic State in the Sahel and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

A security map that reshapes land use

The decree lists specific forested areas spread across several regions. Woodlands in the center and south, long used as rear bases by armed fighters, feature prominently. By locking access, the junta aims to cut logistical lines of the katibas and facilitate aerial targeting without endangering civilians.

The choice of forests as regulatory objects is no coincidence. For over a decade, these massifs have served as gray zones where subsistence economies, smuggling, and insurgent activity intertwine. Villagers collect firewood, medicinal plants, and game, while herders move their livestock. The new legal regime disrupts this balance by placing resources under de facto military control.

Concretely, any civilian incursion becomes punishable, and clearing operations can unfold without notice. The text continues the firm doctrine of the colonels in power since the double coup of 2020 and 2021, who broke with French military presence and shifted the security architecture to Russian partners.

A military gamble with heavy humanitarian costs

The tactical effectiveness of this measure depends on FAMa and their auxiliaries’ ability to hold forest terrain long-term. Helicopter-borne operations and targeted strikes, central since the UN MINUSMA mission left in 2023, gain an expanded legal framework in these forbidden zones. For Bamako, it also signals a reassertion of initiative against insecurity that has spread southward, toward Bamako and Kayes.

However, social consequences could be immense. Tens of thousands live near the targeted massifs and derive substantial income from forest exploitation. The ban risks destabilizing rural communities already battered by drought, food inflation, and closed cross-border markets. Burkina Faso’s precedent, where similar military zones were established in 2023, shows a correlation between expanded militarized areas and mass internal displacement.

A Sahelian convergence around space militarization

Mali’s approach fits a broader regional trend. Burkina Faso and Niger, partners in the Sahel States Confederation (AES), have multiplied exceptional territorial measures since 2024 to regain control from armed groups. This doctrinal convergence reflects a shared vision of security sovereignty, based on physical control of peripheral spaces and temporary suspension of certain customary use rights.

International partners watch this turn cautiously. Human rights organizations have repeatedly documented abuses in areas under enhanced military regimes. The junta’s ability to balance operational effectiveness with respect for civilian populations will be closely scrutinized, especially by West African neighbors and remaining donors.

Economically, the establishment of these perimeters could also affect artisanal mining concessions and some gold operations near the targeted forests. The government has not yet specified compensation or reallocation measures for affected populations. The decree concerns nearly forty forested massifs across the country.