Mali Closes Schools and Higher Education Centers as Jihadist Blockade Exacerbates Petrol Shortage
The landlocked West African country has temporarily halted schools and higher learning institutions throughout the country due to a critical petrol shortage triggered by a blockade on energy resources imposed by Islamist insurgents.
The Education Minister stated on national broadcast that all academic facilities would be inactive until 9 November, noting that the transportation of staff and learners had been impacted by the restrictions.
He emphasized that the authorities were “working tirelessly” to resolve the crisis so that classes could resume on the tenth of November.
For weeks, Mali has been facing a energy deficit, notably in the capital Bamako, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda affiliate imposed a restriction by striking fuel trucks on major highways.
Mali is landlocked, so all energy resources are delivered by land routes from neighboring states such as its western neighbor and the neighboring nation.
Extended lines have been snaking around fuel outlets in Bamako in recent weeks, and the city's typically busy streets have now reportedly fallen quiet.
The military government had earlier this month assured citizens that it was only a passing concern, but the situation has continued.
Last week, the US Embassy in Bamako stated that non-critical embassy personnel and their dependents would depart Mali amid the worsening petrol scarcity and increasing protection worries.
It said that the energy interruptions had affected the supply of electricity and had the “capacity to affect” the overall security situation in unexpected forms.
Mali is currently ruled by a armed forces administration under the leadership of Gen Assimi Goïta, who assumed authority in a coup in 2021.
The junta had public backing when it came to authority, committing to tackle the protracted safety emergency caused by a independence uprising in the northern region by ethnic Tuaregs, which was then co-opted by extremist groups.
The UN peacekeeping mission and European soldiers had been deployed in a decade ago to combat the increasing militant activity.
These forces have withdrawn since the new administration came in, and the military government has contracted private military contractors to address the insecurity.
Nevertheless, the Islamist rebellion has endured and large parts of the north and east of the state remain beyond state authority.
