Mali Suspends Schools and Universities as Jihadist Restrictions Intensifies Petrol Crisis
The landlocked West African country has temporarily halted educational facilities and colleges across the nation due to a critical energy crisis caused by a blockade on petroleum supplies implemented by Islamist insurgents.
Top education official stated on national broadcast that all education institutions would stay shut until 9 November, noting that the transportation of staff and learners had been affected by the imposed limitations.
He asserted that the administration were “doing everything possible” to end the situation so that educational activities could continue on November 10th.
For several weeks, Mali has been experiencing a energy deficit, particularly in the capital Bamako, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda-linked organization enforced a restriction by striking tankers on major highways.
The country is without coastal access, so all energy resources are delivered by truck from bordering countries such as its western neighbor and Ivory Coast.
Extended lines have been snaking around fuel outlets in the capital in recent weeks, and the city's usually crowded streets have now allegedly grown silent.
The military government had earlier this month reassured residents that it was only a passing concern, but the situation has continued.
In the past few days, the American diplomatic mission in the capital announced that non-critical embassy personnel and their families would depart the country amid the intensifying petrol scarcity and growing protection worries.
It said that the petroleum supply issues had impacted the power distribution and had the “potential to disrupt” the general safety conditions in unpredictable ways.
Mali is now led by a military junta headed by General Goïta, who seized power in a coup in recently.
The ruling council had popular support when it assumed control, vowing to deal with the protracted safety emergency triggered by a independence uprising in the north by the Tuareg population, which was then taken over by extremist groups.
The international UN troops and French forces had been sent in a decade ago to deal with the increasing militant activity.
These forces have withdrawn since the new administration came in, and the current administration has contracted private military contractors to address the insecurity.
Nevertheless, the jihadist insurgency has endured and large parts of the northern and eastern territories of the state remain outside government control.
