The West African nation Suspends Schools and Universities as Jihadist Restrictions Worsens Petrol Emergency

Long queues at petrol stations in Mali
Extended lines have been snaking around petrol stations in recent weeks

The landlocked West African country has closed schools and higher learning institutions across the nation due to a acute energy crisis caused by a embargo on energy resources imposed by jihadist fighters.

Minister of Education stated on national broadcast that all academic facilities would be inactive until the ninth of November, explaining that the transportation of employees and learners had been disrupted by the blockade.

He emphasized that the government officials were “making every effort” to resolve the emergency so that classes could resume on the tenth of November.

For several weeks, Mali has been grappling with a petrol crisis, particularly in the capital Bamako, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda-linked organization initiated a embargo by striking tankers on major highways.

Mali is landlocked, so all energy resources are delivered by road from bordering countries such as Senegal and the neighboring nation.

Extended lines have been snaking around gas pumps in the main city in recent weeks, and the city's typically busy streets have now allegedly become deserted.

The junta-led administration had previously promised the public that it was only a passing concern, but the emergency has endured.

Last week, the United States diplomatic office in Bamako announced that non-critical embassy personnel and their relatives would leave Mali amid the deteriorating petrol scarcity and increasing security concerns.

It noted that the fuel disruptions had affected the supply of electricity and had the “capacity to affect” the general safety conditions in unexpected forms.

The West African nation is now led by a armed forces administration led by General Goïta, who seized power in a takeover in two years ago.

The junta had widespread approval when it assumed control, committing to tackle the protracted safety emergency triggered by a autonomy movement in the northern region by the Tuareg population, which was then taken over by Islamist militants.

The United Nations stabilization force and French forces had been sent in previously to combat the increasing militant activity.

The international troops have left since the junta took over, and the ruling council has employed private military contractors to combat the insecurity.

Nonetheless, the militant uprising has persisted and large parts of the north and east of the nation remain beyond state authority.

Paul Butler
Paul Butler

Lena Schmidt is a Berlin-based political analyst specializing in EU affairs and transatlantic relations.