Mali Shuts Down Schools and Higher Education Centers as Islamist Militant Blockade Worsens Fuel Shortage
Mali has temporarily halted educational facilities and universities throughout the country due to a acute fuel scarcity triggered by a blockade on energy resources imposed by militant groups.
Minister of Education stated on national broadcast that all education institutions would remain closed until 9 November, noting that the travel of staff and learners had been disrupted by the restrictions.
He emphasized that the authorities were “doing everything possible” to resolve the crisis so that classes could resume on 10 November.
For weeks, Mali has been facing a petrol crisis, notably in the capital Bamako, after armed groups from an jihadist network enforced a blockade by striking fuel trucks on primary roads.
The country is surrounded by land, so all petroleum products are transported by truck from neighboring states such as Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire.
Extended lines have been snaking around petrol stations in Bamako in the past few weeks, and the city's usually crowded streets have now reportedly become deserted.
The military government had previously reassured the public that it was only a passing concern, but the crisis has endured.
Recently, the American diplomatic mission in Bamako declared that non-critical embassy personnel and their relatives would evacuate Mali amid the intensifying energy crisis and escalating safety issues.
It said that the petroleum supply issues had affected the energy availability and had the “ability to disturb” the overall security situation in unpredictable ways.
Mali is presently governed by a military junta under the leadership of Gen Assimi Goïta, who assumed authority in a coup in two years ago.
The military government had public backing when it came to authority, promising to tackle the long-running security crisis triggered by a autonomy movement in the northern region by ethnic Tuaregs, which was then taken over by extremist groups.
The international UN troops and France's military had been stationed in 2013 to combat the growing rebellion.
Both have withdrawn since the new administration came in, and the ruling council has contracted private military contractors to combat the insecurity.
Nonetheless, the jihadist insurgency has endured and extensive regions of the north and east of the nation remain not under administrative command.
