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The landlocked West African country has temporarily halted schools and higher learning institutions across the nation due to a critical fuel scarcity resulting from a restriction on petroleum supplies imposed by Islamist insurgents.

Minister of Education announced on public media that all education institutions would remain closed until November 9th, explaining that the movement of staff and learners had been disrupted by the blockade.

He stated that the authorities were “working tirelessly” to end the situation so that academic sessions could continue on the tenth of November.

For a number of weeks, Mali has been grappling with a fuel shortage, notably in the capital Bamako, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda-linked organization imposed a embargo by targeting fuel trucks on primary roads.

Mali is landlocked, so all energy resources are transported by truck from bordering countries such as its western neighbor and Côte d'Ivoire.

Long queues have been forming around petrol stations in the capital in the last several days, and the city's normally bustling streets have now reportedly become deserted.

The ruling military council had in recent days promised citizens that it was only a temporary issue, but the crisis has continued.

Recently, the United States diplomatic office in Bamako announced that non-critical embassy personnel and their families would leave Mali amid the deteriorating energy crisis and growing security concerns.

It said that the energy interruptions had disrupted the power distribution and had the “ability to disturb” the general safety conditions in unexpected forms.

Mali is presently governed by a armed forces administration under the leadership of Gen Assimi Goïta, who assumed authority in a takeover in two years ago.

The junta had public backing when it assumed control, committing to deal with the ongoing instability caused by a independence uprising in the northern territories by ethnic Tuaregs, which was then taken over by extremist groups.

The United Nations stabilization force and European soldiers had been sent in previously to deal with the increasing militant activity.

These forces have departed since the new administration came in, and the current administration has hired Russian mercenaries to tackle the violence.

However, the jihadist insurgency has continued and extensive regions of the northern and eastern territories of the nation remain not under administrative command.