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Mali has closed educational facilities and colleges throughout the country due to a critical petrol shortage triggered by a restriction on petroleum supplies enforced by Islamist insurgents.

The Education Minister announced on public media that all education institutions would remain closed until the ninth of November, explaining that the movement of personnel and pupils had been impacted by the restrictions.

He stated that the administration were “doing everything possible” to alleviate the crisis so that classes could resume on the tenth of November.

For several weeks, the nation has been facing a energy deficit, especially in the capital Bamako, after armed groups from an al-Qaeda-linked organization enforced a blockade by targeting tankers on major highways.

Mali is surrounded by land, so all petroleum products are transported by road from bordering countries such as its western neighbor and the neighboring nation.

Extended lines have been forming around fuel outlets in the main city in the last several days, and the city's usually crowded streets have now reportedly grown silent.

The military government had in recent days assured citizens that it was only a short-term problem, but the situation has continued.

In the past few days, the American diplomatic mission in the capital stated that non-essential diplomatic staff and their relatives would evacuate Mali amid the intensifying energy crisis and increasing safety issues.

It explained that the petroleum supply issues had affected the energy availability and had the “potential to disrupt” the broader protection environment in unpredictable ways.

Mali is presently governed by a armed forces administration under the leadership of the military leader, who seized power in a takeover in recently.

The junta had public backing when it took power, committing to deal with the ongoing instability triggered by a separatist rebellion in the north by ethnic Tuaregs, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants.

The international UN troops and French forces had been stationed in 2013 to deal with the increasing militant activity.

Both have withdrawn since the junta took over, and the ruling council has employed foreign fighters to address the insecurity.

Nevertheless, the Islamist rebellion has continued and large parts of the northern and eastern zones of the country remain not under administrative command.