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Mali has closed schools and colleges throughout the country due to a severe fuel scarcity caused by a blockade on petroleum supplies imposed by militant groups.

Top education official announced on public media that all academic facilities would stay shut until November 9th, clarifying that the movement of staff and pupils had been affected by the restrictions.

He stated that the government officials were “working tirelessly” to alleviate the crisis so that educational activities could restart on 10 November.

For several weeks, the nation has been facing a energy deficit, especially in the main city, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda affiliate initiated a blockade by striking fuel trucks on primary roads.

Mali is without coastal access, so all fuel supplies are brought in by road from bordering countries such as its western neighbor and the neighboring nation.

Lengthy waits have been snaking around gas pumps in Bamako in the past few weeks, and the city's usually crowded streets have now reportedly become deserted.

The military government had previously promised residents that it was only a temporary issue, but the situation has continued.

Recently, the United States diplomatic office in Bamako announced that non-essential diplomatic staff and their relatives would leave the country amid the worsening energy crisis and escalating security concerns.

It said that the fuel disruptions had disrupted the power distribution and had the “potential to disrupt” the general safety conditions in unpredictable ways.

Mali is currently ruled by a military junta under the leadership of General Goïta, who took control in a takeover in 2021.

The junta had widespread approval when it assumed control, committing to deal with the long-running security crisis caused by a autonomy movement in the northern region by the Tuareg population, which was then co-opted by jihadist fighters.

The international UN troops and European soldiers had been stationed in previously to address the increasing militant activity.

Both have departed since the new administration came in, and the ruling council has employed foreign fighters to address the insecurity.

Nonetheless, the Islamist rebellion has continued and large parts of the northern and eastern zones of the country remain outside government control.