Mali: Timber trafficking worth $13.8 million in 2019-21

Between 2019 and 2021, timber trafficking in Mali exceeded $13.8 million due to terrorist financing, extortion and corruption, and Mali has lost more than 82% of its forest cover since 1960.

A recent report by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) shows that illegal logging in Mali generated approximately $13.8 million between 2019 and 2021, providing significant financial support to extremist groups such as the Group Supporting Islam and Muslims (GSIM). The document suggests that the jihadist alliance affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb profits from unregulated logging to finance its operations and strengthen its control over Malian territory.

The ISS report highlights that GSIM has used this illegal economy to become a dominant force in the regions of Mopti, Sigou and Timbuktu since its announcement in March 2017. For example, between 2019 and 2021, illegal logging in the municipality of Niba, in the Kayes region (west), alone generated around $13.8 million (8 billion CFA francs).

The report also noted that Mali has lost more than 82% of its forest cover since 1960, mainly due to excessive logging, urbanization and agricultural expansion.

The expansion of GSIM in southern Mali, especially in the Baoul protected areas between Kes and Koulikoro, is particularly worrying. According to the ISS, these protected areas, which cover about one million hectares and are protected by the United Nations educational and cultural agency, have become a center of activity for the insurgents. The same document emphasizes that the extremists do not only cut down wood; they control access to the protected areas and impose royalties on illegal loggers.

It was revealed that GSIM has demanded a royalty of approximately $8 (5,000 FCFA) per month or per load of timber since 2022. This strategy has allowed the group to consolidate control and establish a stable source of revenue while positioning itself as a protector of local interests against banditry and other threats.

The ISS report also highlights the role of corruption in sustaining this illegal trade. He said Malian forestry officials and civil servants often turn a blind eye to the illegal extraction and export of timber, especially kosso rosewood, a protected rosewood species. The report said that between 2020 and 2022, about 220,000 kosso logs were illegally exported to China through the port of Dakar, Senegal.

To counter the threat, the ISS recommends greater international cooperation to revive the 2015 Algiers peace agreement and address grievances of Tuareg separatist groups. The group insists that tighter logging regulations and a fight against corruption are essential to limiting JNIM’s influence.

MD/AC/APA