About 10 days ago, Malian authorities reportedly reached out to al Qaeda-affiliated Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, to negotiate an end to the group's economic blockade in southwestern Mali, which connects to Senegal, RFI reported on Oct. 9. However, JNIM reportedly rejected initial talks with intermediaries and set conditions for talks in the future, including a requirement that the junta establish a single, direct channel for negotiations and cease controlling informal fuel sales in villages.