The West African nation Shuts Down Educational Institutions and Universities as Jihadist Blockade Intensifies Fuel Emergency

The landlocked West African country has temporarily halted schools and universities across the nation due to a severe fuel scarcity resulting from a restriction on petroleum supplies enforced by Islamist insurgents.

Minister of Education declared on public media that all academic facilities would remain closed until 9 November, clarifying that the travel of staff and students had been impacted by the restrictions.

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

For weeks, Mali has been experiencing a fuel shortage, especially in the capital Bamako, after militants from an al-Qaeda affiliate initiated a embargo by attacking transport vehicles on major highways.

The country is surrounded by land, so all fuel supplies are delivered by land routes from bordering countries such as its western neighbor and Côte d'Ivoire.

Lengthy waits have been snaking around fuel outlets in the capital in the last several days, and the city's normally bustling streets have now apparently grown silent.

The junta-led administration had in recent days promised citizens that it was only a passing concern, but the emergency has endured.

In the past few days, the United States diplomatic office in Bamako declared that non-essential diplomatic staff and their relatives would leave the country amid the deteriorating fuel shortage and escalating security concerns.

It said that the petroleum supply issues had affected the supply of electricity and had the “capacity to affect” the general safety conditions in unpredictable ways.

The West African nation is presently governed by a military junta headed by Gen Assimi Goïta, who assumed authority in a military overthrow in two years ago.

The military government had popular support when it came to authority, committing to address the protracted safety emergency prompted by a separatist rebellion in the northern territories by Tuareg communities, which was then hijacked by jihadist fighters.

The United Nations stabilization force and European soldiers had been sent in a decade ago to deal with the escalating insurgency.

The international troops have left since the new administration came in, and the ruling council has employed foreign fighters to tackle the instability.

Nevertheless, the Islamist rebellion has continued and significant areas of the northern and eastern zones of the nation remain not under administrative command.