The West African nation Closes Schools and Universities as Islamist Militant Blockade Worsens Petrol Crisis
The landlocked West African country has closed educational facilities and universities throughout the country due to a severe fuel scarcity caused by a blockade on petroleum supplies enforced by jihadist fighters.
Minister of Education announced on public media that all learning centers would stay shut until 9 November, explaining that the movement of personnel and students had been affected by the blockade.
He emphasized that the authorities were “working tirelessly” to resolve the crisis so that classes could resume on 10 November.
For a number of weeks, the nation has been experiencing a energy deficit, notably in the capital Bamako, after armed groups from an jihadist network enforced a blockade by targeting transport vehicles on major highways.
Mali is landlocked, so all fuel supplies are transported by truck from bordering countries such as Senegal and Ivory Coast.
Long queues have been snaking around petrol stations in the main city in the last several days, and the city's usually crowded streets have now reportedly fallen quiet.
The military government had in recent days promised the public that it was only a temporary issue, but the situation has persisted.
Recently, the American diplomatic mission in the capital stated that non-critical embassy personnel and their relatives would leave Mali amid the worsening energy crisis and growing security concerns.
It explained that the petroleum supply issues had impacted the supply of electricity and had the “capacity to affect” the overall security situation in unexpected forms.
The West African nation is now led by a armed forces administration headed by Gen Assimi Goïta, who seized power in a military overthrow in two years ago.
The military government had popular support when it came to authority, committing to tackle the ongoing instability triggered by a autonomy movement in the northern region by the Tuareg population, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants.
The United Nations stabilization force and European soldiers had been sent in a decade ago to combat the escalating insurgency.
Both have departed since the junta took over, and the military government has hired private military contractors to tackle the violence.
Nonetheless, the militant uprising has persisted and significant areas of the north and east of the state remain outside government control.
