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The landlocked West African country has temporarily halted educational facilities and colleges countrywide due to a severe energy crisis resulting from a restriction on fuel imports enforced by jihadist fighters.

The Education Minister announced on national broadcast that all academic facilities would remain closed until November 9th, explaining that the travel of employees and pupils had been affected by the blockade.

He asserted that the authorities were “making every effort” to alleviate the crisis so that classes could restart on November 10th.

For a number of weeks, the nation has been experiencing a fuel shortage, particularly in the administrative center, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda affiliate enforced a embargo by targeting tankers on primary roads.

Mali is surrounded by land, so all petroleum products are delivered by road from neighboring states such as Senegal and the neighboring nation.

Extended lines have been snaking around gas pumps in the main city in the past few weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now reportedly fallen quiet.

The ruling military council had earlier this month promised citizens that it was only a passing concern, but the situation has persisted.

Recently, the American diplomatic mission in Bamako declared that secondary diplomatic employees and their families would depart Mali amid the worsening fuel shortage and growing safety issues.

It noted that the energy interruptions had affected the supply of electricity and had the “capacity to affect” the general safety conditions in unexpected forms.

Mali is presently governed by a armed forces administration headed by Gen Assimi Goïta, who seized power in a coup in recently.

The military government had popular support when it assumed control, committing to tackle the protracted safety emergency triggered by a autonomy movement in the north by Tuareg communities, which was then taken over by Islamist militants.

The international UN troops and France's military had been sent in previously to deal with the growing rebellion.

Both have left since the military assumed power, and the military government has contracted Russian mercenaries to combat the instability.

Nonetheless, the Islamist rebellion has continued and extensive regions of the north and east of the nation remain not under administrative command.