🔗 Share this article Mali Closes Schools and Universities as Islamist Militant Restrictions Intensifies Petrol Emergency Prolonged lines have been forming around fuel pumps in the last few days Mali has closed schools and colleges across the nation due to a critical petrol shortage triggered by a blockade on fuel imports imposed by Islamist insurgents. The Education Minister stated on public media that all education institutions would be inactive until 9 November, clarifying that the movement of personnel and pupils had been affected by the blockade. He asserted that the government officials were “making every effort” to resolve the emergency so that classes could continue on November 10th. For a number of weeks, the nation has been facing a energy deficit, notably in the administrative center, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda-linked organization enforced a restriction by targeting transport vehicles on key routes. Mali is landlocked, so all petroleum products are delivered by road from bordering countries such as its western neighbor and the neighboring nation. Lengthy waits have been winding around petrol stations in the capital in the last several days, and the city's normally bustling streets have now allegedly grown silent. The ruling military council had in recent days reassured residents that it was only a temporary issue, but the crisis has continued. In the past few days, the United States diplomatic office in Bamako announced that non-essential diplomatic staff and their relatives would depart the country amid the worsening petrol scarcity and growing security concerns. It noted that the petroleum supply issues had affected the energy availability and had the “potential to disrupt” the general safety conditions in unpredictable ways. Mali is currently ruled by a army council headed by General Goïta, who assumed authority in a military overthrow in recently. The military government had public backing when it came to authority, vowing to tackle the protracted safety emergency prompted by a autonomy movement in the northern region by the Tuareg population, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants. The UN peacekeeping mission and France's military had been sent in a decade ago to address the increasing militant activity. The international troops have left since the military assumed power, and the military government has employed foreign fighters to combat the violence. Nevertheless, the Islamist rebellion has endured and extensive regions of the north and east of the country remain not under administrative command.