š Share this article Mali Shuts Down Educational Institutions and Higher Education Centers as Jihadist Restrictions Worsens Petrol Crisis Prolonged queues have been appearing around petrol stations in the last few days Mali has closed schools and higher learning institutions throughout the country due to a acute petrol shortage triggered by a restriction on petroleum supplies implemented by militant groups. The Education Minister stated on public media that all academic facilities would remain closed until the ninth of November, clarifying that the travel of staff and pupils had been affected by the restrictions. He asserted that the government officials were āmaking every effortā to resolve the crisis so that academic sessions could restart on the tenth of November. For weeks, Mali has been facing a petrol crisis, notably in the administrative center, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda-linked organization initiated a blockade by striking tankers on key routes. Mali is without coastal access, so all energy resources are transported by road from neighboring states such as Senegal and Ivory Coast. Long queues have been forming around fuel outlets in the main city in the past few weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now apparently grown silent. The military government had earlier this month assured the public that it was only a passing concern, but the situation has continued. Last week, the United States diplomatic office in the capital announced that secondary diplomatic employees and their dependents would leave Mali amid the intensifying energy crisis and escalating safety issues. It said that the energy interruptions had impacted the energy availability and had the āpotential to disruptā the broader protection environment in unpredictable ways. Mali is presently governed by a army council headed by Gen Assimi GoĆÆta, who assumed authority in a military overthrow in 2021. The junta had popular support when it took power, vowing to address the long-running security crisis prompted by a autonomy movement in the northern region by ethnic Tuaregs, which was then taken over by Islamist militants. The international UN troops and France's military had been stationed in 2013 to address the growing rebellion. The international troops have departed since the new administration came in, and the military government has employed private military contractors to combat the insecurity. However, the jihadist insurgency has continued and large parts of the northern and eastern territories of the nation remain outside government control.