The West African nation Closes Schools and Universities as Jihadist Restrictions Exacerbates Fuel Emergency
The landlocked West African country has suspended schools and universities across the nation due to a critical fuel scarcity resulting from a restriction on petroleum supplies implemented by Islamist insurgents.
Top education official stated on public media that all learning centers would be inactive until 9 November, explaining that the transportation of staff and learners had been affected by the imposed limitations.
He emphasized that the government officials were “making every effort” to alleviate the situation so that classes could resume on 10 November.
For a number of weeks, the nation has been facing a energy deficit, notably in the capital Bamako, after militants from an al-Qaeda-linked organization initiated a restriction by striking transport vehicles on major highways.
Mali is surrounded by land, so all fuel supplies are transported by land routes from neighboring states such as its western neighbor and Ivory Coast.
Long queues have been snaking around fuel outlets in Bamako in recent weeks, and the city's usually crowded streets have now apparently fallen quiet.
The military government had previously assured the public that it was only a temporary issue, but the situation has endured.
In the past few days, the US Embassy in Bamako declared that secondary diplomatic employees and their dependents would evacuate the country amid the intensifying energy crisis and growing safety issues.
It noted that the petroleum supply issues had affected the energy availability and had the “potential to disrupt” the overall security situation in unexpected forms.
Mali is currently ruled by a armed forces administration led by the military leader, who seized power in a military overthrow in recently.
The military government had public backing when it came to authority, vowing to tackle the protracted safety emergency prompted by a separatist rebellion in the northern region by ethnic Tuaregs, which was then hijacked by jihadist fighters.
The international UN troops and European soldiers had been deployed in a decade ago to combat the increasing militant activity.
These forces have withdrawn since the junta took over, and the ruling council has hired foreign fighters to tackle the insecurity.
Nonetheless, the Islamist rebellion has continued and extensive regions of the north and east of the state remain not under administrative command.
