The West African nation Suspends Schools and Universities as Islamist Militant Restrictions Exacerbates Fuel Emergency

Long queues at petrol stations in Mali
Prolonged lines have been appearing around gas stations in the last few days

The landlocked West African country has closed schools and higher learning institutions throughout the country due to a critical energy crisis caused by a blockade on fuel imports imposed by Islamist insurgents.

Minister of Education stated on state television that all learning centers would stay shut until 9 November, clarifying that the transportation of employees and learners had been affected by the restrictions.

He stated that the authorities were “working tirelessly” to resolve the crisis so that educational activities could restart on the tenth of November.

For several weeks, the nation has been grappling with a energy deficit, notably in the administrative center, after militants from an jihadist network imposed a restriction by attacking fuel trucks on key routes.

Mali is landlocked, so all petroleum products are transported by land routes from neighboring states such as its western neighbor and the neighboring nation.

Long queues have been forming around fuel outlets in Bamako in the last several days, and the city's typically busy streets have now reportedly fallen quiet.

The ruling military council had earlier this month reassured residents that it was only a short-term problem, but the crisis has persisted.

Last week, the US Embassy in Bamako announced that secondary diplomatic employees and their families would leave Mali amid the worsening fuel shortage and growing protection worries.

It explained that the energy interruptions had disrupted the supply of electricity and had the “capacity to affect” the overall security situation in unforeseen manners.

Mali is presently governed by a military junta led by Gen Assimi Goïta, who seized power in a coup in recently.

The ruling council had public backing when it assumed control, vowing to address the protracted safety emergency prompted by a separatist rebellion in the northern territories by Tuareg communities, which was then taken over by extremist groups.

The United Nations stabilization force and France's military had been deployed in a decade ago to address the escalating insurgency.

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

Nevertheless, the Islamist rebellion has continued and extensive regions of the northern and eastern zones of the nation remain outside government control.

Deborah Rogers
Deborah Rogers

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