The West African nation Closes Schools and Universities as Islamist Militant Restrictions Worsens Fuel Emergency

Long queues at petrol stations in Mali
Prolonged lines have been snaking around fuel pumps in recent weeks

The landlocked West African country has closed educational facilities and higher learning institutions countrywide due to a critical fuel scarcity resulting from a restriction on energy resources imposed by militant groups.

Top education official declared on public media that all learning centers would be inactive until November 9th, clarifying that the movement of employees and pupils had been impacted by the restrictions.

He asserted that the government officials were “making every effort” to end the situation so that academic sessions could resume on 10 November.

For a number of weeks, the nation has been grappling with a petrol crisis, especially in the administrative center, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda affiliate initiated a blockade by striking transport vehicles on key routes.

The country is without coastal access, so all energy resources are transported by truck from neighboring states such as Senegal and the neighboring nation.

Lengthy waits have been forming around petrol stations in Bamako in recent weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now allegedly become deserted.

The ruling military council had earlier this month promised the public that it was only a short-term problem, but the situation has continued.

In the past few days, the US Embassy in the capital declared that non-critical embassy personnel and their relatives would leave Mali amid the intensifying fuel shortage and increasing protection worries.

It noted that the fuel disruptions had disrupted the energy availability and had the “potential to disrupt” the general safety conditions in unexpected forms.

The West African nation is presently governed by a military junta headed by the military leader, who took control in a takeover in two years ago.

The ruling council had public backing when it took power, committing to deal with the protracted safety emergency caused by a separatist rebellion in the northern region by Tuareg communities, which was then hijacked by extremist groups.

The UN peacekeeping mission and France's military had been deployed in previously to combat the increasing militant activity.

The international troops have left since the military assumed power, and the ruling council has employed Russian mercenaries to combat the violence.

Nevertheless, the Islamist rebellion has persisted and significant areas of the north and east of the country remain not under administrative command.

Misty Schneider DDS
Misty Schneider DDS

A tech enthusiast and digital strategist with over a decade of experience in software development and innovation consulting.