New Delhi, May 28 -- As Muslims around the world prepare to celebrate Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, the holiday carries a bitter edge in Mali 's capital. A blockade by armed groups linked to al-Qaida has sent sheep prices soaring and put the central ritual of slaughtering an animal and sharing its meat with the poor beyond the reach of many families.

The shortage and high prices are largely due to a blockade of Bamako announced earlier this month by fighters from Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an al-Qaida-linked group. The militants regularly attack convoys of trucks and vehicles transporting goods to the capital, often setting them ablaze.

Landlocked Mali depends heavily on fuel and goods trucked in from coastal neighbors...