Mali Shuts Down Schools and Universities as Islamist Militant Restrictions Exacerbates Fuel Emergency

Mali has temporarily halted schools and colleges across the nation due to a critical petrol shortage caused by a restriction on fuel imports imposed by militant groups.

Minister of Education declared on public media that all academic facilities would be inactive until 9 November, explaining that the travel of employees and pupils had been affected by the blockade.

He emphasized that the authorities were “making every effort” to alleviate the emergency so that classes could restart on November 10th.

For several weeks, Mali has been facing a petrol crisis, especially in the capital Bamako, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda affiliate imposed a restriction by attacking transport vehicles on major highways.

Mali is surrounded by land, so all energy resources are transported by land routes from neighboring states such as its western neighbor and Côte d'Ivoire.

Lengthy waits have been snaking around petrol stations in the capital in recent weeks, and the city's typically busy streets have now apparently fallen quiet.

The ruling military council had in recent days reassured residents that it was only a temporary issue, but the emergency has continued.

In the past few days, the United States diplomatic office in the capital announced that non-essential diplomatic staff and their dependents would depart the country amid the worsening petrol scarcity and escalating security concerns.

It explained that the fuel disruptions had impacted the energy availability and had the “capacity to affect” the general safety conditions in unpredictable ways.

The West African nation is now led by a armed forces administration under the leadership of Gen Assimi Goïta, who seized power in a military overthrow in recently.

The ruling council had public backing when it came to authority, vowing to tackle the protracted safety emergency triggered by a autonomy movement in the northern region by Tuareg communities, which was then co-opted by extremist groups.

The international UN troops and France's military had been deployed in 2013 to address the increasing militant activity.

The international troops have left since the military assumed power, and the ruling council has contracted private military contractors to combat the instability.

Nonetheless, the militant uprising has continued and large parts of the north and east of the country remain outside government control.