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The landlocked West African country has closed schools and colleges throughout the country due to a severe fuel scarcity caused by a blockade on fuel imports enforced by Islamist insurgents.

The Education Minister announced on national broadcast that all academic facilities would be inactive until November 9th, clarifying that the movement of personnel and students had been affected by the imposed limitations.

He emphasized that the government officials were “doing everything possible” to resolve the situation so that classes could continue on 10 November.

For several weeks, Mali has been facing a petrol crisis, especially in the main city, after armed groups from an jihadist network enforced a blockade by striking fuel trucks on primary roads.

The country is landlocked, so all fuel supplies are transported by truck from bordering countries such as its western neighbor and Côte d'Ivoire.

Lengthy waits have been forming around gas pumps in the capital in the last several days, and the city's typically busy streets have now apparently become deserted.

The military government had previously assured the public that it was only a passing concern, but the crisis has endured.

Recently, the US Embassy in the capital announced that non-essential diplomatic staff and their families would evacuate Mali amid the intensifying petrol scarcity and escalating safety issues.

It noted that the petroleum supply issues had impacted the supply of electricity and had the “ability to disturb” the general safety conditions in unexpected forms.

Mali is now led by a armed forces administration headed by Gen Assimi Goïta, who seized power in a military overthrow in 2021.

The ruling council had widespread approval when it took power, committing to deal with the ongoing instability triggered by a autonomy movement in the north by Tuareg communities, which was then co-opted by jihadist fighters.

The international UN troops and European soldiers had been sent in previously to deal with the growing rebellion.

These forces have left since the military assumed power, and the current administration has contracted foreign fighters to address the violence.

However, the Islamist rebellion has persisted and significant areas of the northern and eastern territories of the country remain not under administrative command.