The West African nation Suspends Educational Institutions and Universities as Jihadist Blockade Intensifies Petrol Shortage

The landlocked West African country has temporarily halted schools and universities throughout the country due to a critical fuel scarcity resulting from a embargo on fuel imports implemented by jihadist fighters.

Minister of Education declared on national broadcast that all education institutions would be inactive until 9 November, clarifying that the movement of staff and students had been impacted by the blockade.

He stated that the administration were “doing everything possible” to resolve the situation so that classes could restart on November 10th.

For weeks, the nation has been grappling with a petrol crisis, especially in the capital Bamako, after armed groups from an jihadist network imposed a blockade by targeting fuel trucks on major highways.

Mali is landlocked, so all fuel supplies are delivered by truck from adjacent nations such as Senegal and the neighboring nation.

Long queues have been forming around fuel outlets in Bamako in the past few weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now apparently become deserted.

The ruling military council had previously assured residents that it was only a short-term problem, but the situation has persisted.

Recently, the American diplomatic mission in the capital stated that non-essential diplomatic staff and their dependents would depart the country amid the intensifying energy crisis and increasing safety issues.

It noted that the fuel disruptions had impacted the power distribution and had the “ability to disturb” the overall security situation in unforeseen manners.

Mali is currently ruled by a armed forces administration headed by the military leader, who assumed authority in a military overthrow in 2021.

The ruling council had popular support when it took power, promising to tackle the long-running security crisis prompted by a separatist rebellion in the northern territories by Tuareg communities, which was then co-opted by extremist groups.

The UN peacekeeping mission and French forces had been sent in 2013 to deal with the escalating insurgency.

Both have departed since the new administration came in, and the ruling council has hired foreign fighters to address the insecurity.

Nevertheless, the Islamist rebellion has endured and large parts of the northern and eastern zones of the country remain beyond state authority.