The West African nation Shuts Down Educational Institutions and Higher Education Centers as Islamist Militant Blockade Intensifies Petrol Shortage
Mali has temporarily halted schools and universities throughout the country due to a critical energy crisis triggered by a embargo on fuel imports enforced by jihadist fighters.
The Education Minister announced on public media that all learning centers would stay shut until the ninth of November, explaining that the movement of employees and students had been disrupted by the blockade.
He asserted that the authorities were “working tirelessly” to resolve the crisis so that educational activities could continue on the tenth of November.
For weeks, the nation has been experiencing a petrol crisis, particularly in the administrative center, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda affiliate imposed a blockade by striking transport vehicles on key routes.
The country is surrounded by land, so all energy resources are delivered by road from neighboring states such as Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire.
Lengthy waits have been snaking around petrol stations in Bamako in recent weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now apparently become deserted.
The ruling military council had earlier this month reassured the public that it was only a temporary issue, but the situation has persisted.
Last week, the United States diplomatic office in the capital announced that non-critical embassy personnel and their dependents would leave Mali amid the intensifying petrol scarcity and escalating safety issues.
It explained that the energy interruptions had impacted the supply of electricity and had the “potential to disrupt” the general safety conditions in unpredictable ways.
The West African nation is presently governed by a armed forces administration headed by General Goïta, who seized power in a military overthrow in 2021.
The junta had public backing when it assumed control, vowing to address the protracted safety emergency prompted by a autonomy movement in the northern region by the Tuareg population, which was then hijacked by extremist groups.
The UN peacekeeping mission and France's military had been stationed in previously to deal with the increasing militant activity.
The international troops have withdrawn since the new administration came in, and the military government has hired private military contractors to address the instability.
Nevertheless, the Islamist rebellion has endured and significant areas of the north and east of the nation remain outside government control.
