Mali Closes Schools and Universities as Islamist Militant Restrictions Exacerbates Fuel Emergency

Long queues at petrol stations in Mali
Extended queues have been forming around gas stations in the last few days

The landlocked West African country has suspended schools and universities throughout the country due to a critical energy crisis caused by a restriction on petroleum supplies imposed by Islamist insurgents.

Minister of Education announced on state television that all academic facilities would stay shut until November 9th, explaining that the movement of personnel and pupils had been impacted by the imposed limitations.

He stated that the government officials were “making every effort” to alleviate the situation so that educational activities could restart on November 10th.

For a number of weeks, the nation has been experiencing a energy deficit, particularly in the capital Bamako, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda affiliate imposed a blockade by attacking transport vehicles on key routes.

Mali is surrounded by land, so all energy resources are transported by road from adjacent nations such as its western neighbor and the neighboring nation.

Lengthy waits have been snaking around gas pumps in the main city in the past few weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now reportedly fallen quiet.

The junta-led administration had previously promised residents that it was only a temporary issue, but the emergency has endured.

Last week, the United States diplomatic office in the capital announced that secondary diplomatic employees and their relatives would depart the country amid the worsening petrol scarcity and escalating protection worries.

It explained that the energy interruptions had impacted the power distribution and had the “ability to disturb” the broader protection environment in unpredictable ways.

The West African nation is presently governed by a military junta under the leadership of the military leader, who assumed authority in a coup in two years ago.

The ruling council had popular support when it came to authority, vowing to address the long-running security crisis triggered by a separatist rebellion in the northern region by the Tuareg population, which was then hijacked by extremist groups.

The United Nations stabilization force and France's military had been sent in previously to combat the escalating insurgency.

Both have departed since the military assumed power, and the military government has hired Russian mercenaries to address the insecurity.

However, the Islamist rebellion has persisted and extensive regions of the northern and eastern territories of the state remain beyond state authority.

Devin Brady
Devin Brady

Lena is a cybersecurity specialist with over 10 years of experience in IT infrastructure and digital risk management.