🔗 Share this article Mali Closes Educational Institutions and Universities as Islamist Militant Restrictions Exacerbates Petrol Crisis Lengthy lines have been appearing around fuel pumps in the past few weeks The landlocked West African country has suspended educational facilities and colleges countrywide due to a critical fuel scarcity caused by a embargo on energy resources implemented by militant groups. The Education Minister announced on state television that all learning centers would remain closed until 9 November, noting that the movement of employees and learners had been disrupted by the blockade. He stated that the administration were “working tirelessly” to end the crisis so that educational activities could continue on November 10th. For a number of weeks, Mali has been experiencing a energy deficit, notably in the main city, after militants from an al-Qaeda affiliate initiated a restriction by targeting fuel trucks on key routes. Mali is without coastal access, so all petroleum products are brought in by truck from neighboring states such as Senegal and Ivory Coast. Long queues have been snaking around petrol stations in Bamako in the past few weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now allegedly grown silent. The ruling military council had previously assured citizens that it was only a short-term problem, but the situation has persisted. Last week, the US Embassy in Bamako announced that non-critical embassy personnel and their relatives would leave Mali amid the deteriorating petrol scarcity and growing security concerns. It said that the energy interruptions had disrupted the supply of electricity and had the “capacity to affect” the broader protection environment in unexpected forms. The West African nation is now led by a army council under the leadership of General Goïta, who seized power in a coup in 2021. The ruling council had public backing when it came to authority, committing to tackle the long-running security crisis caused by a independence uprising in the northern territories by the Tuareg population, which was then co-opted by jihadist fighters. The international UN troops and France's military had been sent in a decade ago to deal with the escalating insurgency. The international troops have left since the military assumed power, and the current administration has contracted Russian mercenaries to tackle the violence. Nevertheless, the militant uprising has persisted and extensive regions of the north and east of the nation remain outside government control.