Mali Closes Schools As Fuel Blockade By Jihadists Worsens

Mali’s government has ordered the closure of all schools and universities across the country amid a worsening fuel shortage triggered by a jihadist blockade on fuel imports.

Education Minister Amadou Sy Savane announced the nationwide suspension on state television, explaining that the movement of teachers and students had been severely disrupted. He said all educational institutions would remain closed until 9 November, assuring that authorities were working to resolve the crisis so classes could resume the following day.

The shortage, which has gripped the capital Bamako and other parts of the country for weeks, stems from a blockade imposed by militants linked to al-Qaeda. The insurgents have reportedly targeted fuel tankers along key supply routes, effectively cutting off imports.

As a landlocked nation, Mali relies heavily on fuel deliveries by road from neighbours such as Senegal and Ivory Coast. The attacks have left long queues at petrol stations and turned Bamako’s usually bustling streets unusually quiet.

Although the military government initially dismissed the shortage as a temporary disruption, the situation has steadily worsened.

Last week, the US Embassy in Bamako ordered the evacuation of non-essential staff and their families, warning that the fuel crisis had disrupted electricity supply and could “unpredictably affect the overall security situation.”

Mali, currently under the rule of Gen. Assimi Goïta following a 2021 coup, has faced years of instability. The junta came to power promising to end the insecurity caused by a Tuareg separatist rebellion that was later overtaken by Islamist extremists.

International efforts to contain the insurgency — including UN peacekeepers and French troops — have since withdrawn. In their place, the junta has turned to Russian mercenaries for support.

Despite these efforts, large areas of the north and east remain under jihadist control, and the ongoing blockade has now compounded both Mali’s economic and humanitarian challenges.