Mali Closes Schools and Universities as Jihadist Restrictions Exacerbates Fuel Crisis

Long queues at petrol stations in Mali
Lengthy queues have been forming around gas stations in recent weeks

The landlocked West African country has closed schools and colleges across the nation due to a severe fuel scarcity resulting from a restriction on petroleum supplies implemented by Islamist insurgents.

Minister of Education stated on public media that all education institutions would stay shut until November 9th, explaining that the movement of personnel and pupils had been disrupted by the imposed limitations.

He stated that the government officials were “making every effort” to resolve the emergency so that educational activities could resume on the tenth of November.

For several weeks, the nation has been experiencing a energy deficit, particularly in the main city, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda-linked organization enforced a embargo by striking fuel trucks on major highways.

The country is landlocked, so all petroleum products are delivered by truck from bordering countries such as its western neighbor and Ivory Coast.

Long queues have been snaking around petrol stations in the main city in the past few weeks, and the city's usually crowded streets have now apparently grown silent.

The ruling military council had earlier this month assured the public that it was only a short-term problem, but the situation has continued.

Last week, the United States diplomatic office in Bamako declared that secondary diplomatic employees and their relatives would evacuate the country amid the intensifying energy crisis and increasing protection worries.

It explained that the fuel disruptions had impacted the energy availability and had the “capacity to affect” the general safety conditions in unexpected forms.

Mali is presently governed by a army council led by Gen Assimi Goïta, who assumed authority in a coup in two years ago.

The military government had public backing when it took power, promising to deal with the protracted safety emergency triggered by a separatist rebellion in the northern region by Tuareg communities, which was then taken over by Islamist militants.

The international UN troops and France's military had been sent in a decade ago to combat the growing rebellion.

These forces have left since the new administration came in, and the military government has employed foreign fighters to combat the violence.

However, the jihadist insurgency has persisted and extensive regions of the north and east of the state remain beyond state authority.

Jasmine Leonard
Jasmine Leonard

A digital media strategist with over a decade of experience in streaming technology and content analysis.