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The landlocked West African country has closed schools and universities countrywide due to a critical energy crisis resulting from a blockade on energy resources imposed by jihadist fighters.

Minister of Education stated on state television that all learning centers would be inactive until November 9th, noting that the travel of employees and learners had been disrupted by the blockade.

He asserted that the government officials were “doing everything possible” to end the situation so that academic sessions could resume on 10 November.

For several weeks, the nation has been grappling with a fuel shortage, especially in the administrative center, after militants from an jihadist network imposed a restriction by striking transport vehicles on key routes.

Mali is without coastal access, so all petroleum products are brought in by road from bordering countries such as its western neighbor and Ivory Coast.

Long queues have been forming around gas pumps in the main city in the past few weeks, and the city's usually crowded streets have now reportedly become deserted.

The junta-led administration had earlier this month reassured the public that it was only a passing concern, but the situation has persisted.

Last week, the United States diplomatic office in Bamako declared that non-essential diplomatic staff and their dependents would evacuate the country amid the intensifying fuel shortage and increasing protection worries.

It noted that the fuel disruptions had affected the power distribution and had the “capacity to affect” the general safety conditions in unforeseen manners.

The West African nation is now led by a army council led by the military leader, who assumed authority in a coup in two years ago.

The ruling council had public backing when it came to authority, committing to deal with the ongoing instability triggered by a separatist rebellion in the northern territories by ethnic Tuaregs, which was then co-opted by extremist groups.

The United Nations stabilization force and France's military had been stationed in previously to combat the escalating insurgency.

The international troops have departed since the military assumed power, and the current administration has contracted Russian mercenaries to address the insecurity.

However, the jihadist insurgency has continued and large parts of the northern and eastern territories of the state remain beyond state authority.