The West African nation Closes Schools and Universities as Islamist Militant Restrictions Intensifies Fuel Crisis
Mali has closed educational facilities and colleges countrywide due to a critical fuel scarcity resulting from a blockade on fuel imports enforced by Islamist insurgents.
The Education Minister announced on national broadcast that all education institutions would stay shut until 9 November, noting that the movement of staff and students had been affected by the imposed limitations.
He emphasized that the administration were “doing everything possible” to alleviate the crisis so that academic sessions could continue on 10 November.
For several weeks, Mali has been grappling with a fuel shortage, especially in the administrative center, after militants from an jihadist network enforced a blockade by attacking fuel trucks on key routes.
Mali is landlocked, so all fuel supplies are delivered by road from adjacent nations such as its western neighbor and Ivory Coast.
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 reportedly become deserted.
The military government had in recent days reassured residents that it was only a passing concern, but the situation has persisted.
Recently, the US Embassy in Bamako stated that non-essential diplomatic staff and their families would evacuate Mali amid the intensifying energy crisis and escalating safety issues.
It said that the petroleum supply issues had disrupted the power distribution and had the “potential to disrupt” the overall security situation in unpredictable ways.
Mali is now led by a army council headed by Gen Assimi Goïta, who took control in a coup in 2021.
The military government had popular support when it took power, committing to address the long-running security crisis prompted by a separatist rebellion in the northern territories by the Tuareg population, which was then co-opted by extremist groups.
The UN peacekeeping mission and French forces had been stationed in previously to address the escalating insurgency.
These forces have departed since the junta took over, and the current administration has contracted Russian mercenaries to tackle the instability.
However, the militant uprising has continued and significant areas of the north and east of the country remain not under administrative command.
