Mali has suspended all schools and universities nationwide starting from Sunday due to a severe fuel scarcity caused by a blockade on fuel imports imposed by jihadi militants in Bamakothe on the capital.

According to a statement issued by the Minister of Education Amadou Sy Savane on Sunday, the minister stated that classes would be suspended for two weeks “due to disruptions in fuel supplies that are affecting the movement of school staff.”

The Minister added that every other educational sector would experience the shut until November 9, acknowledging that the authorities were “doing everything possible” to put an end the crisis so that classes could resume on 10 November.

The crisis came from a ban announced in early September by militants from the al-Qaida-backed Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin group, who stood against the importation of fuel from neighbouring countries into Mali.

This particular action by the group has severely drained the landlocked country’s fragile economy, leaving a lot of fuel trucks helpless at the border.

According to reports long queues have formed at petrol stations in Bamako, while scarcity has driven up the prices of goods and transportation., The blockade poses a major setback for Mali’s military junta, which came into power in 2020, claiming it was necessary to end years of insecurity.

The Minister has promised that authorities were “doing everything possible” to restore normal fuel supplies before schools resume.