Mali Shuts Down Schools and Higher Education Centers as Jihadist Restrictions Exacerbates Petrol Crisis

Long queues at petrol stations in Mali
Prolonged lines have been forming around petrol stations in recent weeks

Mali has closed educational facilities and higher learning institutions across the nation due to a critical energy crisis resulting from a embargo on fuel imports implemented by Islamist insurgents.

The Education Minister declared on public media that all education institutions would remain closed until 9 November, clarifying that the movement of staff and learners had been disrupted by the imposed limitations.

He stated that the administration were “doing everything possible” to alleviate the situation so that academic sessions could resume on the tenth of November.

For several weeks, the nation has been experiencing a petrol crisis, especially in the main city, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda-linked organization initiated a restriction by striking tankers on key routes.

The country is without coastal access, so all petroleum products are brought in by truck from neighboring states such as Senegal and Ivory Coast.

Lengthy waits have been snaking around petrol stations in the capital in recent weeks, and the city's usually crowded streets have now allegedly grown silent.

The military government had previously promised the public that it was only a temporary issue, but the situation has endured.

Last week, the US Embassy in Bamako declared that non-critical embassy personnel and their relatives would leave Mali amid the worsening fuel shortage and increasing security concerns.

It explained that the energy interruptions had affected the energy availability and had the “ability to disturb” the overall security situation in unforeseen manners.

The West African nation is now led by a armed forces administration under the leadership of the military leader, who assumed authority in a coup in recently.

The military government had popular support when it took power, vowing to tackle the long-running security crisis prompted by a autonomy movement in the northern region by Tuareg communities, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants.

The international UN troops and French forces had been sent in 2013 to address the escalating insurgency.

The international troops have withdrawn since the junta took over, and the military government has hired Russian mercenaries to tackle the violence.

Nonetheless, the militant uprising has endured and significant areas of the northern and eastern territories of the nation remain outside government control.

James Stephenson
James Stephenson

A Berlin-based writer and cultural enthusiast with a passion for uncovering hidden gems in German cities and sharing travel experiences.