The West African nation Closes Schools and Higher Education Centers as Islamist Militant Blockade Intensifies Petrol Emergency
The landlocked West African country has suspended schools and colleges across the nation due to a severe petrol shortage triggered by a embargo on energy resources imposed by Islamist insurgents.
The Education Minister stated on public media that all learning centers would be inactive until November 9th, noting that the travel of staff and students had been impacted by the imposed limitations.
He asserted that the authorities were “doing everything possible” to resolve the crisis so that academic sessions could restart on November 10th.
For several weeks, the nation has been grappling with a fuel shortage, notably in the main city, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda-linked organization imposed a blockade by attacking tankers on primary roads.
Mali is surrounded by land, so all energy resources are delivered by road from bordering countries such as its western neighbor and the neighboring nation.
Long queues have been snaking around petrol stations in Bamako in the past few weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now apparently fallen quiet.
The military government had earlier this month promised residents that it was only a temporary issue, but the crisis has continued.
In the past few days, the US Embassy in Bamako declared that non-essential diplomatic staff and their dependents would evacuate the country amid the worsening energy crisis and escalating security concerns.
It explained that the fuel disruptions had disrupted the energy availability and had the “ability to disturb” the broader protection environment in unexpected forms.
The West African nation is presently governed by a military junta under the leadership of General GoĂŻta, who seized power in a coup in two years ago.
The military government had public backing when it came to authority, promising to deal with the protracted safety emergency prompted by a separatist rebellion in the northern region by ethnic Tuaregs, which was then co-opted by extremist groups.
The international UN troops and European soldiers had been sent in 2013 to deal with the escalating insurgency.
These forces have left since the junta took over, and the current administration has contracted foreign fighters to address the insecurity.
Nevertheless, the militant uprising has continued and large parts of the north and east of the state remain outside government control.
