Mali Shuts Down Educational Institutions and Universities as Jihadist Restrictions Worsens Petrol Crisis

Long queues at petrol stations in Mali
Lengthy lines have been snaking around gas stations in the past few weeks

The landlocked West African country has suspended educational facilities and universities countrywide due to a acute energy crisis resulting from a embargo on fuel imports imposed by militant groups.

Minister of Education announced on state television that all learning centers would remain closed until 9 November, clarifying that the transportation of staff and students had been disrupted by the restrictions.

He stated that the authorities were “doing everything possible” to alleviate the emergency so that educational activities could continue on November 10th.

For several weeks, the nation has been experiencing a petrol crisis, notably in the capital Bamako, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda-linked organization enforced a restriction by targeting fuel trucks on key routes.

The country is without coastal access, so all energy resources are brought in by land routes from adjacent nations such as Senegal and the neighboring nation.

Lengthy waits have been forming around fuel outlets in Bamako in the last several days, and the city's normally bustling streets have now apparently fallen quiet.

The junta-led administration had in recent days promised residents that it was only a temporary issue, but the situation has persisted.

Last week, the US Embassy in the capital announced that non-critical embassy personnel and their relatives would leave the country amid the intensifying fuel shortage and growing protection worries.

It said that the fuel disruptions had impacted the supply of electricity and had the “potential to disrupt” the overall security situation in unforeseen manners.

The West African nation is now led by a military junta under the leadership of the military leader, who took control in a takeover in two years ago.

The ruling council had popular support when it assumed control, vowing to tackle the long-running security crisis prompted by a autonomy movement in the north by Tuareg communities, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants.

The international UN troops and France's military had been sent in 2013 to combat the growing rebellion.

Both have departed since the junta took over, and the military government has employed foreign fighters to tackle the instability.

However, the jihadist insurgency has persisted and extensive regions of the northern and eastern zones of the country remain not under administrative command.

Justin Manning
Justin Manning

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in casino strategy development and player psychology.