In Mali, jihadists impose Sharia law, persecute Christians, and encircle Bamako, starving communities and canceling the Kita pilgrimage.
Newsroom (14/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) In a nation where 94% of the population is Muslim and Sharia law is increasingly enforced through violence, Mali’s Christian minority—roughly 500,000 in a country of 22 million—is facing unprecedented persecution. Churches are being razed, families displaced, and access to water and arable land systematically denied, pushing Christian communities toward famine and exodus. The cancellation of the 54th national Marian pilgrimage to Kita, announced by the Episcopal Conference of Mali on November 12, underscores the growing threat posed by jihadist groups, who have encircled the capital, Bamako, and plunged the country into crisis.
The Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist coalition, has capitalized on the withdrawal of international forces to expand its control over vast swathes of Malian territory. French troops under Operation Barkhane, European Union forces, and the United Nations’ MINUSMA mission, which had contained the jihadist threat since 2013, departed between 2022 and 2023. Mali’s military junta, led by General Assimi Goïta, hailed their exit, accusing foreign forces of failing to defeat the insurgents. Promising self-reliance, the junta turned to Russian support, first through Wagner mercenaries in 2021 and later via Africa Corps, a private military company controlled by Russia’s Ministry of Defense. Yet, this strategy has faltered. By 2024, jihadists were attacking central Mali; in 2025, they advanced south, encircling Bamako.
Rather than seeking to capture the capital outright, JNIM’s strategy appears to be isolation. Since September, jihadists have blocked fuel imports by attacking tanker convoys, crippling economic activity and forcing schools to close. The resulting shortages have exacerbated the vulnerability of Mali’s Christian communities, who face targeted violence and deprivation. Reports describe women beaten for not wearing headscarves, amputations for theft, and an atmosphere of terror under Sharia law. For Christians, the situation is dire: jihadists burn churches, drive families from villages, and block access to essential resources, aiming to erase centuries-old communities through starvation and displacement.
The cancellation of the Kita pilgrimage, a cornerstone of Mali’s Christian heritage, reflects the escalating insecurity. Located less than 200 kilometers from Bamako, the Shrine of Our Lady of Mali, founded in 1888 by the Holy Ghost Fathers, has been a beacon of faith since its designation as a national pilgrimage site in 1965. Its terracotta Virgin Mary statue, crafted by a missionary, draws thousands annually, including pilgrims from neighboring countries. A larger shrine, inaugurated in 1994, accommodated the growing faithful. This year’s pilgrimage, themed “Pilgrim of Hope” and scheduled for November 22-23, was to be the 54th. However, fuel shortages, the risk of attacks, and rising kidnappings have rendered the site inaccessible. If JNIM consolidates its grip, the 2024 pilgrimage may have been Mali’s last.
Mali’s descent into chaos follows two coups in 2020 and 2021, which brought Goïta’s junta to power. The population, exhausted by poverty, corruption, and insecurity, initially welcomed the military’s promises to address the Tuareg separatist rebellion and the jihadist threat. Yet, neither the Malian army nor Russian mercenaries have stemmed JNIM’s advance. The jihadists’ growing dominance has not only imperiled Christians but also deepened the humanitarian crisis, with economic paralysis and widespread fear.
As Bamako remains under siege, the international community watches a nation unravel. For Mali’s Christians, the future is uncertain, their faith tested by violence and deprivation. The loss of the Kita pilgrimage is more than a logistical defeat—it is a symbol of a community on the brink, silenced by the shadow of jihadist rule.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Tribune Chretienne
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