🔗 Share this article Mali Shuts Down Educational Institutions and Higher Education Centers as Islamist Militant Restrictions Worsens Fuel Shortage Extended lines have been appearing around gas stations in the past few weeks The landlocked West African country has temporarily halted educational facilities and colleges throughout the country due to a acute petrol shortage resulting from a restriction on fuel imports enforced by Islamist insurgents. Top education official declared on national broadcast that all education institutions would be inactive until 9 November, explaining that the travel of personnel and students had been affected by the restrictions. He emphasized that the government officials were “making every effort” to resolve the situation so that academic sessions could resume on the tenth of November. For weeks, Mali has been experiencing a petrol crisis, especially in the main city, after militants from an jihadist network imposed a blockade by targeting tankers on primary roads. The country is without coastal access, so all petroleum products are transported by road from adjacent nations such as Senegal and Ivory Coast. Lengthy waits have been forming around gas pumps in the capital in the last several days, and the city's normally bustling streets have now apparently fallen quiet. The military government had previously promised the public that it was only a temporary issue, but the situation has persisted. Last week, the US Embassy in Bamako announced that secondary diplomatic employees and their relatives would leave the country amid the intensifying petrol scarcity and growing safety issues. It said that the fuel disruptions had disrupted the power distribution and had the “capacity to affect” the overall security situation in unexpected forms. Mali is currently ruled by a army council headed by Gen Assimi Goïta, who took control in a military overthrow in recently. The military government had popular support when it came to authority, committing to address the ongoing instability triggered by a autonomy movement in the northern region by the Tuareg population, which was then co-opted by jihadist fighters. The UN peacekeeping mission and French forces had been sent in 2013 to combat the increasing militant activity. Both have withdrawn since the military assumed power, and the ruling council has contracted Russian mercenaries to address the insecurity. However, the jihadist insurgency has continued and extensive regions of the northern and eastern zones of the nation remain outside government control.