🔗 Share this article

The landlocked West African country has suspended schools and colleges throughout the country due to a severe petrol shortage triggered by a embargo on petroleum supplies implemented by Islamist insurgents.

The Education Minister announced on public media that all academic facilities would remain closed until November 9th, clarifying that the movement of staff and pupils had been disrupted by the imposed limitations.

He stated that the administration were “doing everything possible” to alleviate the crisis so that academic sessions could resume on November 10th.

For several weeks, Mali has been experiencing a fuel shortage, particularly in the main city, after militants from an al-Qaeda-linked organization enforced a blockade by attacking transport vehicles on major highways.

Mali is without coastal access, so all fuel supplies are transported by road from bordering countries such as its western neighbor and Ivory Coast.

Long queues have been snaking around gas pumps in the main city in the last several days, and the city's normally bustling streets have now reportedly become deserted.

The junta-led administration had in recent days promised residents that it was only a passing concern, but the situation has persisted.

Recently, the US Embassy in the capital announced that secondary diplomatic employees and their dependents would evacuate the country amid the deteriorating petrol scarcity and escalating protection worries.

It noted that the petroleum supply issues had affected the power distribution and had the “ability to disturb” the overall security situation in unpredictable ways.

The West African nation is currently ruled by a armed forces administration under the leadership of the military leader, who seized power in a military overthrow in two years ago.

The military government had public backing when it came to authority, vowing to deal with the protracted safety emergency prompted by a independence uprising in the northern territories by Tuareg communities, which was then hijacked by extremist groups.

The international UN troops and French forces had been sent in previously to deal with the escalating insurgency.

The international troops have departed since the military assumed power, and the current administration has hired foreign fighters to address the instability.

Nonetheless, the Islamist rebellion has persisted and large parts of the north and east of the nation remain not under administrative command.