Mali Shuts Down Schools and Higher Education Centers as Islamist Militant Restrictions Intensifies Petrol Emergency
The landlocked West African country has closed educational facilities and higher learning institutions countrywide due to a critical fuel scarcity caused by a restriction on fuel imports implemented by jihadist fighters.
Top education official stated on national broadcast that all learning centers would remain closed until November 9th, clarifying that the movement of employees and students had been affected by the imposed limitations.
He asserted that the administration were “making every effort” to alleviate the emergency so that educational activities could restart on 10 November.
For a number of weeks, the nation has been facing a fuel shortage, notably in the administrative center, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda-linked organization enforced a restriction by striking transport vehicles on key routes.
Mali is without coastal access, so all petroleum products are brought in by truck from adjacent nations such as its western neighbor and Ivory Coast.
Long queues have been winding around gas pumps in the capital in the last several days, and the city's typically busy streets have now apparently become deserted.
The military government had in recent days reassured residents that it was only a passing concern, but the situation has continued.
Recently, the United States diplomatic office in the capital declared that non-essential diplomatic staff and their relatives would depart the country amid the worsening petrol scarcity and increasing safety issues.
It explained that the petroleum supply issues had affected the energy availability and had the “ability to disturb” the overall security situation in unforeseen manners.
The West African nation is presently governed by a armed forces administration headed by the military leader, who assumed authority in a military overthrow in recently.
The military government had widespread approval when it assumed control, committing to address the protracted safety emergency prompted by a separatist rebellion in the north by ethnic Tuaregs, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants.
The UN peacekeeping mission and European soldiers had been sent in previously to address the increasing militant activity.
These forces have withdrawn since the junta took over, and the current administration has hired foreign fighters to tackle the instability.
However, the Islamist rebellion has endured and extensive regions of the northern and eastern zones of the state remain outside government control.
