EgyptAir has cancelled all Hajj pilgrimage flights from Bamako, Mali, affecting over 4,000 pilgrims. The decision was made due to escalating security concerns in the country, where jihadist fighters and Tuareg separatists are threatening the capital.

Mali faces its most severe security challenge in years as jihadist fighters and Tuareg separatists launch coordinated attacks and tighten a blockade around the capital, Bamako, increasing pressure on the country’s military rulers.