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The landlocked West African country has closed schools and universities throughout the country due to a acute fuel scarcity resulting from a blockade on fuel imports imposed by militant groups.

Minister of Education announced on public media that all education institutions would remain closed until the ninth of November, explaining that the travel of staff and pupils had been impacted by the blockade.

He asserted that the administration were “making every effort” to resolve the emergency so that educational activities could restart on November 10th.

For weeks, Mali has been grappling with a petrol crisis, especially in the main city, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda-linked organization enforced a restriction by striking fuel trucks on key routes.

Mali is surrounded by land, so all petroleum products are transported by road from neighboring states such as Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire.

Long queues have been winding around fuel outlets in Bamako in recent weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now reportedly become deserted.

The military government had in recent days reassured residents that it was only a passing concern, but the crisis has continued.

Last week, the American diplomatic mission in the capital announced that non-essential diplomatic staff and their families would depart the country amid the deteriorating fuel shortage and growing security concerns.

It noted that the energy interruptions had affected the energy availability and had the “ability to disturb” the overall security situation in unpredictable ways.

The West African nation is currently ruled by a armed forces administration led by the military leader, who assumed authority in a takeover in two years ago.

The ruling council had popular support when it came to authority, vowing to tackle the ongoing instability prompted by a autonomy movement in the northern region by Tuareg communities, which was then hijacked by extremist groups.

The UN peacekeeping mission and French forces had been sent in a decade ago to combat the increasing militant activity.

These forces have withdrawn since the new administration came in, and the ruling council has contracted foreign fighters to address the instability.

However, the jihadist insurgency has persisted and extensive regions of the northern and eastern zones of the nation remain beyond state authority.