The West African nation Closes Educational Institutions and Universities as Jihadist Blockade Worsens Petrol Emergency
The landlocked West African country has suspended educational facilities and colleges across the nation due to a critical energy crisis caused by a embargo on petroleum supplies implemented by militant groups.
Top education official announced on public media that all academic facilities would be inactive until November 9th, explaining that the travel of staff and learners had been affected by the restrictions.
He emphasized that the authorities were “doing everything possible” to end the emergency so that classes could continue on November 10th.
For weeks, Mali has been facing a fuel shortage, notably in the capital Bamako, after militants from an al-Qaeda affiliate initiated a restriction by targeting tankers on key routes.
The country is surrounded by land, so all petroleum products are brought in by truck from adjacent nations such as Senegal and Ivory Coast.
Long queues have been snaking around gas pumps in the main city in recent weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now allegedly become deserted.
The junta-led administration had previously assured residents that it was only a passing concern, but the situation has endured.
Recently, the American diplomatic mission in the capital declared that secondary diplomatic employees and their dependents would leave Mali amid the intensifying fuel shortage and increasing safety issues.
It said that the fuel disruptions had affected the power distribution and had the “capacity to affect” the overall security situation in unforeseen manners.
The West African nation is now led by a army council led by General Goïta, who seized power in a takeover in recently.
The ruling council had popular support when it took power, promising to deal with the ongoing instability caused by a separatist rebellion in the northern territories by ethnic Tuaregs, which was then taken over by Islamist militants.
The UN peacekeeping mission and European soldiers had been stationed in 2013 to address the growing rebellion.
The international troops have withdrawn since the junta took over, and the military government has contracted foreign fighters to address the insecurity.
Nonetheless, the jihadist insurgency has continued and extensive regions of the northern and eastern territories of the country remain outside government control.
