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The landlocked West African country has closed schools and colleges throughout the country due to a critical fuel scarcity triggered by a blockade on energy resources enforced by jihadist fighters.

Minister of Education stated on public media that all education institutions would stay shut until 9 November, explaining that the travel of personnel and pupils had been disrupted by the blockade.

He emphasized that the government officials were “working tirelessly” to resolve the situation so that classes could continue on 10 November.

For a number of weeks, the nation has been grappling with a petrol crisis, notably in the administrative center, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda-linked organization initiated a embargo by attacking transport vehicles on key routes.

Mali is surrounded by land, so all petroleum products are transported by land routes from neighboring states such as its western neighbor and Ivory Coast.

Long queues have been snaking around gas pumps in the capital in the last several days, and the city's typically busy streets have now reportedly grown silent.

The military government had earlier this month promised citizens that it was only a passing concern, but the crisis has continued.

Last week, the US Embassy in Bamako stated that non-critical embassy personnel and their families would leave Mali amid the worsening energy crisis and increasing security concerns.

It explained that the energy interruptions had impacted the energy availability and had the “capacity to affect” the broader protection environment in unpredictable ways.

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

The junta had widespread approval when it assumed control, promising to address the protracted safety emergency caused by a separatist rebellion in the northern region by ethnic Tuaregs, which was then hijacked by extremist groups.

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

The international troops have left since the military assumed power, and the current administration has hired foreign fighters to combat the insecurity.

Nonetheless, the jihadist insurgency has persisted and large parts of the northern and eastern territories of the state remain outside government control.