The West African nation Shuts Down Educational Institutions and Higher Education Centers as Islamist Militant Restrictions Worsens Fuel Emergency

The landlocked West African country has suspended schools and universities throughout the country due to a severe petrol shortage resulting from a blockade on energy resources enforced by jihadist fighters.

Minister of Education declared on national broadcast that all learning centers would stay shut until the ninth of November, explaining that the transportation of personnel and pupils had been impacted by the blockade.

He emphasized that the government officials were “making every effort” to end the crisis so that classes could restart on 10 November.

For weeks, the nation has been experiencing a fuel shortage, particularly in the capital Bamako, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda-linked organization imposed a blockade by striking fuel trucks on key routes.

Mali is surrounded by land, so all fuel supplies are delivered by land routes from bordering countries such as Senegal and Ivory Coast.

Lengthy waits have been forming around petrol stations in the main city in the last several days, and the city's normally bustling streets have now allegedly become deserted.

The military government had in recent days promised citizens that it was only a passing concern, but the crisis has persisted.

Recently, the American diplomatic mission in the capital stated that non-essential diplomatic staff and their dependents would evacuate the country amid the worsening energy crisis and increasing security concerns.

It said that the fuel disruptions had affected the energy availability and had the “capacity to affect” the general safety conditions in unforeseen manners.

The West African nation is currently ruled by a armed forces administration led by General Goïta, who took control in a coup in recently.

The junta had public backing when it assumed control, committing to deal with the long-running security crisis triggered by a autonomy movement in the northern territories by Tuareg communities, which was then taken over by Islamist militants.

The UN peacekeeping mission and France's military had been stationed in 2013 to address the escalating insurgency.

Both have left since the junta took over, and the ruling council has hired Russian mercenaries to tackle the violence.

Nonetheless, the jihadist insurgency has persisted and significant areas of the north and east of the state remain not under administrative command.