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The landlocked West African country has closed educational facilities and colleges across the nation due to a critical energy crisis caused by a restriction on petroleum supplies implemented by Islamist insurgents.

Minister of Education announced on public media that all learning centers would remain closed until 9 November, explaining that the travel of employees and learners had been impacted by the imposed limitations.

He emphasized that the administration were “making every effort” to alleviate the emergency so that classes could continue on 10 November.

For several weeks, Mali has been experiencing a petrol crisis, notably in the main city, after militants from an al-Qaeda affiliate enforced a restriction by striking transport vehicles on key routes.

Mali is landlocked, so all energy resources are brought in by road from bordering countries such as Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire.

Extended lines have been winding around petrol stations in Bamako in recent weeks, and the city's normally bustling streets have now apparently become deserted.

The military government had previously assured the public that it was only a temporary issue, but the situation has persisted.

Last week, the United States diplomatic office in the capital declared that secondary diplomatic employees and their families would evacuate the country amid the deteriorating fuel shortage and increasing safety issues.

It said that the fuel disruptions had affected the energy availability and had the “capacity to affect” the broader protection environment in unforeseen manners.

Mali is presently governed by a military junta headed by the military leader, who seized power in a coup in two years ago.

The ruling council had widespread approval when it came to authority, vowing to deal with the protracted safety emergency triggered by a autonomy movement in the northern territories by Tuareg communities, which was then co-opted by Islamist militants.

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

These forces have departed since the new administration came in, and the military government has employed Russian mercenaries to address the instability.

However, the militant uprising has continued and extensive regions of the north and east of the state remain not under administrative command.