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Mali has temporarily halted educational facilities and higher learning institutions across the nation due to a acute energy crisis triggered by a blockade on fuel imports imposed by jihadist fighters.

Top education official declared on national broadcast that all education institutions would be inactive until 9 November, clarifying that the movement of staff and pupils had been disrupted by the imposed limitations.

He emphasized that the administration were “making every effort” to resolve the situation so that classes could restart on November 10th.

For several weeks, Mali has been facing a energy deficit, notably in the capital Bamako, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda affiliate initiated a embargo by attacking tankers on major highways.

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

Long queues have been winding around fuel outlets in Bamako in recent weeks, and the city's typically busy streets have now reportedly grown silent.

The junta-led administration had previously promised residents that it was only a temporary issue, but the situation has endured.

Recently, the US Embassy in Bamako stated that secondary diplomatic employees and their relatives would depart Mali amid the deteriorating fuel shortage and growing safety issues.

It noted that the petroleum supply issues had impacted the supply of electricity and had the “capacity to affect” the general safety conditions in unpredictable ways.

Mali is now led by a army council under the leadership of Gen Assimi Goïta, who took control in a military overthrow in 2021.

The ruling council had popular support when it took power, promising to deal with the long-running security crisis triggered by a autonomy movement in the northern territories by Tuareg communities, which was then taken over by extremist groups.

The UN peacekeeping mission and European soldiers had been deployed in 2013 to address the growing rebellion.

The international troops have departed since the new administration came in, and the current administration has contracted private military contractors to combat the instability.

However, the militant uprising has persisted and extensive regions of the northern and eastern zones of the country remain not under administrative command.