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The landlocked West African country has temporarily halted educational facilities and higher learning institutions countrywide due to a acute petrol shortage triggered by a embargo on petroleum supplies imposed by Islamist insurgents.

The Education Minister stated on public media that all learning centers would be inactive until November 9th, clarifying that the transportation of personnel and students had been impacted by the blockade.

He emphasized that the administration were “doing everything possible” to end the situation so that classes could restart on November 10th.

For several weeks, the nation has been experiencing a fuel shortage, especially in the main city, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda affiliate enforced a embargo by attacking fuel trucks on primary roads.

The country is surrounded by land, so all fuel supplies are transported by road from neighboring states such as its western neighbor and Côte d'Ivoire.

Long queues have been snaking around petrol stations 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 assured citizens that it was only a short-term problem, but the crisis has persisted.

Last week, the US Embassy in Bamako declared that non-essential diplomatic staff and their families would evacuate the country amid the intensifying fuel shortage and growing safety issues.

It noted that the petroleum supply issues had disrupted the supply of electricity and had the “ability to disturb” the general safety conditions in unexpected forms.

Mali is now led by a armed forces administration headed by Gen Assimi Goïta, who took control in a takeover in recently.

The military government had widespread approval when it came to authority, vowing to deal with the long-running security crisis caused by a separatist rebellion in the northern territories by the Tuareg population, which was then taken over by extremist groups.

The United Nations stabilization force and European soldiers had been stationed in a decade ago to deal with the escalating insurgency.

Both have left since the junta took over, and the current administration has hired private military contractors to tackle the instability.

Nonetheless, the jihadist insurgency has endured and large parts of the northern and eastern territories of the country remain not under administrative command.