The West African nation Suspends Schools and Universities as Jihadist Blockade Exacerbates Petrol Shortage

Long queues at petrol stations in Mali
Extended lines have been snaking around gas stations in the last few days

Mali has suspended schools and higher learning institutions across the nation due to a acute fuel scarcity resulting from a restriction on petroleum supplies enforced by Islamist insurgents.

The Education Minister announced on public media that all education institutions would be inactive until November 9th, explaining that the transportation of personnel and students had been impacted by the restrictions.

He asserted that the authorities were “working tirelessly” to alleviate the emergency so that classes could resume on 10 November.

For a number of weeks, Mali has been facing a energy deficit, particularly in the main city, after insurgents from an jihadist network imposed a restriction by attacking transport vehicles on primary roads.

Mali is without coastal access, so all fuel supplies are delivered by truck from bordering countries such as Senegal and Ivory Coast.

Extended lines have been snaking around fuel outlets in Bamako in recent weeks, and the city's usually crowded streets have now apparently grown silent.

The military government had previously reassured residents that it was only a passing concern, but the emergency has persisted.

In the past few days, the US Embassy in Bamako announced that non-essential diplomatic staff and their families would depart Mali amid the deteriorating energy crisis and escalating protection worries.

It said that the energy interruptions had impacted the power distribution and had the “potential to disrupt” the broader protection environment in unforeseen manners.

The West African nation is presently governed by a armed forces administration led by the military leader, who seized power in a military overthrow in two years ago.

The ruling council had popular support when it came to authority, committing to address the protracted safety emergency triggered by a independence uprising in the north by Tuareg communities, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants.

The international UN troops and European soldiers had been deployed in a decade ago to combat the growing rebellion.

Both have departed since the military assumed power, and the current administration has employed foreign fighters to combat the insecurity.

However, the Islamist rebellion has continued and extensive regions of the northern and eastern territories of the state remain not under administrative command.

Eric Mitchell
Eric Mitchell

A former casino dealer turned gaming analyst, specializing in slot machine mechanics and player psychology.