Mali Suspends Educational Institutions and Universities as Islamist Militant Restrictions Exacerbates Fuel Shortage
Mali has closed schools and colleges countrywide due to a severe fuel scarcity resulting from a embargo on petroleum supplies implemented by militant groups.
Top education official stated on state television that all academic facilities would stay shut until November 9th, noting that the movement of staff and students had been affected by the imposed limitations.
He stated that the administration were “making every effort” to resolve the emergency so that academic sessions could resume on 10 November.
For a number of weeks, Mali has been experiencing a petrol crisis, particularly in the main city, after armed groups from an jihadist network imposed a embargo by striking transport vehicles on major highways.
The country is landlocked, so all petroleum products are brought in by land routes from neighboring states such as Senegal and CĂ´te d'Ivoire.
Lengthy waits have been forming around petrol stations in the main city in recent weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now allegedly fallen quiet.
The junta-led administration had in recent days assured citizens that it was only a passing concern, but the crisis has endured.
Recently, the United States diplomatic office in Bamako stated that non-critical embassy personnel and their relatives would evacuate the country amid the worsening fuel shortage and growing safety issues.
It explained that the petroleum supply issues had impacted the power distribution and had the “capacity to affect” the overall security situation in unforeseen manners.
Mali is currently ruled by a armed forces administration headed by Gen Assimi GoĂŻta, who seized power in a coup in recently.
The military government had popular support when it assumed control, vowing to address the protracted safety emergency caused by a autonomy movement in the north by Tuareg communities, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants.
The United Nations stabilization force and French forces had been stationed in previously to combat the increasing militant activity.
The international troops have withdrawn since the junta took over, and the ruling council has hired foreign fighters to combat the instability.
Nonetheless, the Islamist rebellion has endured and significant areas of the northern and eastern territories of the country remain outside government control.
