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The landlocked West African country has closed educational facilities and colleges throughout the country due to a severe energy crisis resulting from a embargo on fuel imports enforced by Islamist insurgents.

The Education Minister declared on national broadcast that all education institutions would remain closed until 9 November, clarifying that the transportation of personnel and pupils had been impacted by the restrictions.

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

For several weeks, the nation has been experiencing a energy deficit, particularly in the main city, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda affiliate enforced a restriction by targeting tankers on major highways.

Mali is surrounded by land, so all fuel supplies are transported by truck from neighboring states such as its western neighbor and the neighboring nation.

Long queues have been winding around gas pumps in Bamako in recent weeks, and the city's usually crowded streets have now apparently grown silent.

The junta-led administration had earlier this month promised citizens that it was only a temporary issue, but the crisis has continued.

In the past few days, the US Embassy in the capital announced that non-essential diplomatic staff and their relatives would evacuate Mali amid the worsening energy crisis and growing safety issues.

It noted that the energy interruptions had impacted the energy availability and had the “ability to disturb” the broader protection environment in unexpected forms.

The West African nation is now led by a military junta under the leadership of Gen Assimi Goïta, who took control in a military overthrow in 2021.

The military government had widespread approval when it assumed control, promising to address the long-running security crisis prompted by a independence uprising in the north by ethnic Tuaregs, which was then taken over by Islamist militants.

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

The international troops have withdrawn since the junta took over, and the current administration has employed foreign fighters to address the violence.

Nonetheless, the Islamist rebellion has persisted and significant areas of the northern and eastern zones of the country remain outside government control.