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Mali has temporarily halted educational facilities and higher learning institutions countrywide due to a severe fuel scarcity caused by a restriction on energy resources enforced by jihadist fighters.

Top education official announced on public media that all education institutions would remain closed until 9 November, explaining that the transportation of personnel and learners had been disrupted by the restrictions.

He asserted that the administration were “doing everything possible” to resolve the emergency so that academic sessions could restart on November 10th.

For a number of weeks, the nation has been experiencing a petrol crisis, particularly in the main city, after insurgents from an al-Qaeda-linked organization imposed a restriction by striking tankers on primary roads.

The country is landlocked, so all fuel supplies are transported by land routes from bordering countries such as its western neighbor and the neighboring nation.

Long queues have been winding around petrol stations in the main city in recent weeks, and the city's typically busy streets have now apparently grown silent.

The junta-led administration had in recent days reassured residents that it was only a passing concern, but the crisis has persisted.

Last week, the American diplomatic mission in the capital stated that non-essential diplomatic staff and their dependents would evacuate the country amid the intensifying energy crisis and growing safety issues.

It said that the petroleum supply issues had impacted the power distribution and had the “potential to disrupt” the broader protection environment in unpredictable ways.

The West African nation is presently governed by a army council under the leadership of Gen Assimi Goïta, who assumed authority in a coup in recently.

The ruling council had widespread approval when it assumed control, committing to deal with the protracted safety emergency prompted by a separatist rebellion in the northern territories by the Tuareg population, which was then co-opted by jihadist fighters.

The United Nations stabilization force and French forces had been sent in 2013 to address the growing rebellion.

These forces have departed since the military assumed power, and the current administration has contracted Russian mercenaries to address the insecurity.

Nevertheless, the jihadist insurgency has persisted and significant areas of the north and east of the nation remain outside government control.