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Gbeminiyi Ogunleye
1 week ago
Overview
Mali Shuts Universities, Schools As Jihadists Blockade Worsens Fuel Crisis «
Mali has closed all schools and universities nationwide starting from Sunday due to an acute fuel shortage caused by a blockade on fuel imports imposed by jihadi militants on the capital, Bamako.
Education Minister Amadou Sy Savane announced on state television on Sunday that classes would be suspended for two weeks “due to disruptions in fuel supplies that are affecting the movement of school staff.”
He stated that all educational institutions would remain shut until November 9, saying the the authorities were “doing everything possible” to end the crisis so that classes could resume on 10 November.
The crisis stems from a ban announced in early September by militants from the al-Qaida-backed Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin group, who prohibited the importation of fuel from neighbouring countries into Mali.
The blockade has severely strained the landlocked country’s fragile economy, leaving hundreds of fuel trucks stranded at the border.
