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The landlocked West African country has closed schools and universities across the nation due to a critical petrol shortage triggered by a embargo on energy resources imposed by jihadist fighters.

Minister of Education declared on state television that all academic facilities would remain closed until November 9th, noting that the travel of employees and students had been affected by the blockade.

He emphasized that the authorities were “making every effort” to end the situation so that academic sessions could resume on November 10th.

For weeks, Mali has been facing a energy deficit, notably in the capital Bamako, after armed groups from an jihadist network imposed a blockade by attacking transport vehicles on major highways.

The country is surrounded by land, so all petroleum products are brought in by road from adjacent nations such as Senegal and Ivory Coast.

Long queues have been snaking around fuel outlets in the capital in the last several days, and the city's typically busy streets have now allegedly grown silent.

The junta-led administration had previously assured the public that it was only a short-term problem, but the emergency has endured.

Last week, the US Embassy in Bamako stated that secondary diplomatic employees and their families would depart Mali amid the worsening energy crisis and growing safety issues.

It explained that the petroleum supply issues had impacted the power distribution and had the “potential to disrupt” the overall security situation in unforeseen manners.

Mali is now led by a army council led by General Goïta, who assumed authority in a takeover in recently.

The ruling council had widespread approval when it assumed control, committing to deal with the long-running security crisis triggered by a autonomy movement in the northern territories by the Tuareg population, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants.

The international UN troops and French forces had been deployed in 2013 to combat the escalating insurgency.

These forces have withdrawn since the junta took over, and the military government has contracted private military contractors to combat the insecurity.

Nonetheless, the Islamist rebellion has persisted and large parts of the north and east of the state remain beyond state authority.