Mali Shuts Down Schools and Universities as Jihadist Restrictions Intensifies Petrol Shortage

Long queues at petrol stations in Mali
Extended queues have been forming around fuel pumps in the past few weeks

The landlocked West African country has suspended educational facilities and higher learning institutions countrywide due to a acute petrol shortage resulting from a blockade on energy resources enforced by Islamist insurgents.

Top education official declared on state television that all education institutions would be inactive until November 9th, noting that the movement of personnel and students had been impacted by the blockade.

He stated that the administration were “working tirelessly” to end the emergency so that academic sessions could continue on November 10th.

For a number of weeks, the nation has been experiencing a petrol crisis, especially in the administrative center, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda affiliate enforced a embargo by striking tankers on primary roads.

Mali is without coastal access, so all energy resources are delivered by road from bordering countries such as Senegal and the neighboring nation.

Long queues have been snaking around petrol stations in the capital in recent weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now allegedly grown silent.

The ruling military council had in recent days reassured the public that it was only a passing concern, but the crisis has continued.

Last week, the American diplomatic mission in Bamako declared that non-essential diplomatic staff and their relatives would evacuate Mali amid the deteriorating fuel shortage and escalating protection worries.

It noted that the energy interruptions had impacted the supply of electricity and had the “capacity to affect” the general safety conditions in unexpected forms.

Mali is now led by a armed forces administration led by General GoĂŻta, who assumed authority in a military overthrow in 2021.

The junta had popular support when it assumed control, vowing to address the long-running security crisis triggered by a autonomy movement in the northern region by the Tuareg population, which was then taken over by extremist groups.

The United Nations stabilization force and European soldiers had been deployed in previously to address the escalating insurgency.

Both have departed since the new administration came in, and the current administration has hired Russian mercenaries to tackle the violence.

However, the jihadist insurgency has persisted and extensive regions of the northern and eastern zones of the country remain beyond state authority.

Benjamin Wright
Benjamin Wright

Lena is a tech journalist and gaming enthusiast with over a decade of experience reviewing hardware and software.