Mali Suspends Educational Institutions and Universities as Jihadist Restrictions Worsens Fuel Crisis
Mali has closed educational facilities and universities countrywide due to a acute energy crisis triggered by a restriction on energy resources enforced by jihadist fighters.
Top education official declared on state television that all academic facilities would remain closed until 9 November, noting that the travel of staff and learners had been disrupted by the restrictions.
He emphasized that the authorities were “working tirelessly” to end the crisis so that academic sessions could resume on November 10th.
For several weeks, Mali has been facing a energy deficit, particularly in the capital Bamako, after militants from an jihadist network enforced a embargo by attacking tankers on major highways.
The country is surrounded by land, so all fuel supplies are brought in by truck from adjacent nations such as its western neighbor and Ivory Coast.
Long queues have been snaking around fuel outlets in the main city in the past few weeks, and the city's typically busy streets have now reportedly grown silent.
The military government had previously assured citizens that it was only a short-term problem, but the situation has continued.
Recently, the American diplomatic mission in the capital declared that secondary diplomatic employees and their dependents would depart Mali amid the worsening petrol scarcity and increasing protection worries.
It explained that the petroleum supply issues had disrupted the power distribution and had the “potential to disrupt” the general safety conditions in unpredictable ways.
Mali is now led by a military junta under the leadership of General Goïta, who took control in a coup in two years ago.
The military government had widespread approval when it assumed control, committing to tackle the protracted safety emergency triggered by a autonomy movement in the northern territories by ethnic Tuaregs, which was then co-opted by extremist groups.
The UN peacekeeping mission and European soldiers had been stationed in previously to combat the growing rebellion.
Both have left since the new administration came in, and the ruling council has hired Russian mercenaries to address the insecurity.
Nonetheless, the jihadist insurgency has endured and large parts of the north and east of the state remain outside government control.
