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Mali has temporarily halted educational facilities and universities across the nation due to a severe petrol shortage triggered by a blockade on energy resources imposed by jihadist fighters.

Minister of Education announced on public media that all education institutions would be inactive until 9 November, clarifying that the movement of employees and pupils had been disrupted by the blockade.

He asserted that the government officials were “working tirelessly” to alleviate the crisis so that classes could resume on November 10th.

For several weeks, the nation has been experiencing a fuel shortage, especially in the capital Bamako, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda-linked organization initiated a blockade by striking transport vehicles on key routes.

The country is surrounded by land, so all energy resources are transported by land routes from neighboring states such as its western neighbor and the neighboring nation.

Extended lines have been winding around gas pumps in the capital in the last several days, and the city's usually crowded streets have now reportedly fallen quiet.

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

Last week, the American diplomatic mission in the capital declared that secondary diplomatic employees and their families would evacuate Mali amid the deteriorating petrol scarcity and increasing safety issues.

It explained that the petroleum supply issues had affected the energy availability and had the “ability to disturb” the general safety conditions in unforeseen manners.

The West African nation is presently governed by a armed forces administration under the leadership of Gen Assimi Goïta, who seized power in a takeover in 2021.

The junta had public backing when it assumed control, vowing to tackle the protracted safety emergency prompted by a separatist rebellion in the northern region by the Tuareg population, which was then co-opted by extremist groups.

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

The international troops have departed since the junta took over, and the current administration has hired Russian mercenaries to address the violence.

However, the Islamist rebellion has endured and large parts of the north and east of the nation remain beyond state authority.