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

The landlocked West African country has suspended schools and universities across the nation due to a critical petrol shortage triggered by a restriction on fuel imports implemented by militant groups.

Top education official declared on state television that all education institutions would remain closed until the ninth of November, noting that the movement of personnel and learners had been disrupted by the imposed limitations.

He asserted that the government officials were “working tirelessly” to resolve the crisis so that academic sessions could restart on the tenth of November.

For weeks, Mali has been grappling with a fuel shortage, notably in the capital Bamako, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda affiliate enforced a embargo by attacking tankers on major highways.

The country is without coastal access, so all petroleum products are brought in by road from neighboring states such as its western neighbor and Ivory Coast.

Lengthy waits have been winding around petrol stations in Bamako in recent weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now apparently become deserted.

The military government had previously reassured residents that it was only a short-term problem, but the situation has endured.

Last week, the United States diplomatic office in the capital announced that non-essential diplomatic staff and their relatives would evacuate the country amid the worsening energy crisis and growing security concerns.

It noted that the petroleum supply issues had disrupted the supply of electricity and had the “potential to disrupt” the overall security situation in unforeseen manners.

Mali is presently governed by a army council under the leadership of the military leader, who took control in a takeover in recently.

The junta had public backing when it took power, promising to address the long-running security crisis caused by a independence uprising in the northern region by the Tuareg population, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants.

The UN peacekeeping mission and France's military had been stationed in 2013 to combat the increasing militant activity.

These forces have departed since the junta took over, and the ruling council has hired foreign fighters to tackle the violence.

Nonetheless, the militant uprising has endured and extensive regions of the northern and eastern territories of the country remain not under administrative command.