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The landlocked West African country has suspended educational facilities and higher learning institutions countrywide due to a critical fuel scarcity resulting from a embargo on fuel imports enforced by militant groups.

Top education official declared on national broadcast that all education institutions would be inactive until November 9th, clarifying that the travel of personnel and pupils had been disrupted by the restrictions.

He stated that the government officials were “working tirelessly” to resolve the situation so that classes could restart on November 10th.

For several weeks, Mali has been experiencing a fuel shortage, particularly in the capital Bamako, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda-linked organization initiated a embargo by attacking transport vehicles on key routes.

Mali is without coastal access, so all petroleum products are transported by truck from adjacent nations such as Senegal and Ivory Coast.

Long queues have been forming around gas pumps in the main city in the past few weeks, and the city's usually crowded streets have now apparently become deserted.

The military government had earlier this month promised the public that it was only a temporary issue, but the crisis has persisted.

In the past few days, the American diplomatic mission in the capital announced that secondary diplomatic employees and their families would evacuate the country amid the intensifying energy crisis and increasing security concerns.

It explained that the energy interruptions had impacted the supply of electricity and had the “potential to disrupt” the general safety conditions in unpredictable ways.

Mali is now led by a armed forces administration under the leadership of the military leader, who took control in a coup in 2021.

The ruling council had widespread approval when it assumed control, vowing to address the protracted safety emergency prompted by a independence uprising in the northern territories by Tuareg communities, which was then co-opted by jihadist fighters.

The international UN troops and French forces had been stationed in 2013 to address the increasing militant activity.

These forces have departed since the new administration came in, and the military government has employed foreign fighters to tackle the instability.

Nevertheless, the Islamist rebellion has persisted and large parts of the northern and eastern zones of the country remain not under administrative command.