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The landlocked West African country has suspended schools and colleges countrywide due to a critical fuel scarcity triggered by a embargo on fuel imports enforced by Islamist insurgents.

The Education Minister stated on national broadcast that all learning centers would be inactive until 9 November, clarifying that the travel of staff and learners had been disrupted by the imposed limitations.

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

For several weeks, Mali has been grappling with a petrol crisis, especially in the main city, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda-linked organization initiated a blockade by targeting fuel trucks on major highways.

The country is without coastal access, so all energy resources are brought in by truck from adjacent nations such as its western neighbor and Côte d'Ivoire.

Long queues have been snaking around petrol stations in the capital in recent weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now apparently fallen quiet.

The ruling military council had earlier this month promised residents that it was only a temporary issue, but the emergency has endured.

Last week, the American diplomatic mission in the capital stated that non-essential diplomatic staff and their relatives would evacuate the country amid the worsening petrol scarcity and growing safety issues.

It noted that the petroleum supply issues had disrupted the supply of electricity and had the “potential to disrupt” the overall security situation in unforeseen manners.

The West African nation is now led by a armed forces administration led by General Goïta, who assumed authority in a coup in recently.

The ruling council had public backing when it came to authority, committing to address the long-running security crisis prompted by a independence uprising in the north by Tuareg communities, which was then taken over by extremist groups.

The United Nations stabilization force and European soldiers had been deployed in previously to deal with the increasing militant activity.

The international troops have departed since the new administration came in, and the military government has hired Russian mercenaries to combat the instability.

Nonetheless, the Islamist rebellion has persisted and extensive regions of the northern and eastern territories of the country remain beyond state authority.