Sikasso Region

Sikasso Region occupies Mali's most fertile southern corner, bordering Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso in a position that should enable agricultural prosperity through cross-border trade. Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso planned a special economic zone linking Sikasso with Korhogo (Côte d'Ivoire) and Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso), but the zone remains non-operational as all three countries face security crises. The region's agricultural potential includes cotton, mangoes, and vegetables that would thrive with market access—instead, September 2025 saw JNIM militants set fire to fuel trucks, demonstrating how insurgent networks now target economic infrastructure in Mali's traditionally peaceful south. This southward expansion of conflict represents ecological invasion: armed groups originally contained to northern deserts have colonized new territory, exploiting governance vacuums. The Abidjan-Bamako corridor disruption affects Sikasso most acutely—the region's produce cannot reach its natural market in Côte d'Ivoire when convoys face attack. Despite insecurity, Sikasso remains Mali's most productive agricultural region, its wetter climate supporting cash crops that the Sahelian north cannot produce. The planned SEZ represents cooperative potential that conflict prevents from materializing: three neighboring countries that could form a productive regional economy instead fragment into isolated conflict zones.