Mali Suspends Schools and Universities as Islamist Militant Blockade Worsens Fuel Emergency
The landlocked West African country has closed schools and colleges countrywide due to a severe fuel scarcity triggered by a embargo on energy resources imposed by Islamist insurgents.
Top education official stated on state television that all learning centers would be inactive until 9 November, noting that the transportation of staff and pupils had been impacted by the blockade.
He emphasized that the government officials were “working tirelessly” to alleviate the crisis so that academic sessions could continue on November 10th.
For a number of weeks, the nation has been experiencing a fuel shortage, especially in the capital Bamako, after militants from an al-Qaeda affiliate imposed a restriction by targeting fuel trucks on major highways.
Mali is landlocked, so all energy resources are delivered by road from adjacent nations such as Senegal and CĂ´te d'Ivoire.
Long queues have been winding around fuel outlets in Bamako in the last several days, and the city's normally bustling streets have now apparently fallen quiet.
The military government had in recent days reassured citizens that it was only a short-term problem, but the situation has continued.
Recently, the American diplomatic mission in the capital announced that secondary diplomatic employees and their relatives would evacuate Mali amid the worsening energy crisis and growing security concerns.
It noted that the fuel disruptions had impacted the power distribution and had the “ability to disturb” the broader protection environment in unforeseen manners.
The West African nation is now led by a armed forces administration headed by General GoĂŻta, who assumed authority in a military overthrow in recently.
The junta had popular support when it assumed control, committing to deal with the ongoing instability triggered by a separatist rebellion in the northern region by the Tuareg population, which was then taken over by Islamist militants.
The United Nations stabilization force and European soldiers had been stationed in a decade ago to combat the escalating insurgency.
The international troops have departed since the new administration came in, and the ruling council has contracted private military contractors to tackle the insecurity.
Nevertheless, the jihadist insurgency has endured and extensive regions of the northern and eastern zones of the state remain not under administrative command.
