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The landlocked West African country has temporarily halted educational facilities and higher learning institutions throughout the country due to a critical fuel scarcity triggered by a blockade on fuel imports implemented by militant groups.

The Education Minister stated on state television that all learning centers would remain closed until November 9th, noting that the travel of employees and pupils had been disrupted by the restrictions.

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

For weeks, Mali has been experiencing a fuel shortage, notably in the main city, after militants from an jihadist network enforced a restriction by striking transport vehicles on primary roads.

Mali is without coastal access, so all energy resources are brought in by land routes from adjacent nations such as its western neighbor and the neighboring nation.

Lengthy waits have been winding around gas pumps in the main city in recent weeks, and the city's typically busy streets have now apparently become deserted.

The military government had in recent days promised citizens that it was only a passing concern, but the situation has continued.

Last week, the United States diplomatic office in Bamako declared that non-critical embassy personnel and their dependents would evacuate the country amid the deteriorating energy crisis and escalating safety issues.

It noted that the fuel disruptions had affected the power distribution and had the “potential to disrupt” the overall security situation in unpredictable ways.

Mali is now led by a armed forces administration led by the military leader, who took control in a military overthrow in 2021.

The military government had public backing when it came to authority, committing to deal with the ongoing instability prompted by a autonomy movement in the north by the Tuareg population, which was then co-opted by jihadist fighters.

The United Nations stabilization force and France's military had been deployed in a decade ago to combat the growing rebellion.

The international troops have left since the military assumed power, and the ruling council has contracted private military contractors to combat the violence.

Nevertheless, the jihadist insurgency has continued and significant areas of the northern and eastern territories of the state remain beyond state authority.