Niger revokes licences linked to Mali fuel blockade

Niger has revoked the licences of dozens of transport operators and drivers for refusing to deliver fuel to neighbouring Mali where they face possible attacks by jihadists, reports BBC News. An al-Qaeda affiliate imposed a fuel blockade on Mali in September and began attacking petrol tankers on major highways. The landlocked country depends on fuel imports and in July had signed a deal with Niger to supply 85m litres of fuel over six months to its vast, northern desert region, where various militant groups operate. Niger is an oil-producing country and a major ally of Mali – both run by military juntas which face jihadist violence. Last November, Niger delivered 82 fuel tankers to Mali, which managed to stabilise the energy supply hit by the recent blockade – as convoys travelling from Senegal and Ivory Coast have also been hit. Additional fuel shipments from Niger were expected in the following months, but plans were disrupted after drivers and transport operators refused to make the deliveries. This has prompted Niger's Transport Ministry to revoke the licences of 14 transport operators and 19 drivers for refusing to transport the fuel. ‘This refusal constitutes a serious violation of the legal and regulatory obligations in force,’ Niger Transport Minister Abdourahamane Amadou said in a statement. Another operator was handed a one-year suspension. ‘Those who are sanctioned must also surrender their transport documents and licences to the Ministry,’ the statement said.