The West African nation Closes Educational Institutions and Universities as Jihadist Restrictions Intensifies Fuel Shortage
Mali has temporarily halted educational facilities and colleges across the nation due to a critical energy crisis caused by a blockade on fuel imports imposed by militant groups.
Minister of Education stated on state television that all academic facilities would be inactive until November 9th, explaining that the travel of personnel and pupils had been impacted by the restrictions.
He emphasized that the government officials were “doing everything possible” to alleviate the situation so that educational activities could continue on the tenth of November.
For a number of weeks, Mali has been grappling with a fuel shortage, notably in the main city, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda affiliate enforced a embargo by targeting fuel trucks on key routes.
Mali is surrounded by land, so all fuel supplies are delivered by truck from neighboring states such as Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire.
Extended lines have been forming around gas pumps in the main city in the past few weeks, and the city's typically busy streets have now apparently grown silent.
The military government had in recent days reassured residents that it was only a passing concern, but the crisis has continued.
In the past few days, the United States diplomatic office in Bamako announced that secondary diplomatic employees and their dependents would leave the country amid the worsening fuel shortage and growing security concerns.
It noted that the petroleum supply issues had affected the power distribution and had the “capacity to affect” the broader protection environment in unexpected forms.
The West African nation is currently ruled by a army council led by the military leader, who took control in a military overthrow in two years ago.
The ruling council had popular support when it assumed control, vowing to deal with the long-running security crisis caused by a autonomy movement in the northern region by Tuareg communities, which was then co-opted by jihadist fighters.
The international UN troops and French forces had been stationed in a decade ago to deal with the increasing militant activity.
Both have withdrawn since the junta took over, and the ruling council has contracted foreign fighters to address the instability.
Nonetheless, the Islamist rebellion has endured and large parts of the northern and eastern territories of the nation remain beyond state authority.
