Mali's government has suspended classes in schools and universities starting Monday for two weeks due to acute fuel shortages crippling staff commutes, a direct fallout from an al-Qaida-linked blockade on imports imposed in early September, officials announced on Sunday.

Education Minister Amadou Sy Savane broke the news on state television, citing "disruptions in fuel supplies affecting school staff movement." The nationwide closure, from October 27 to November 9, impacts over 5 million students in a country already grappling with insurgency and economic strain. "We're doing everything possible to restore supplies before reopening," Savane added, as endless queues snake around Bamako's gas stations and commodity prices spike.

The blockade by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaida affiliate, targets fuel convoys from neighbors like Algeria and Côte d'Ivoire, stranding hundreds of trucks at borders.

Mali's military junta, in power since a 2020 coup, has escorted some deliveries but faced ambushes, with analysts noting little headway from Russian mercenaries replacing expelled French troops.

The landlocked nation's economy, reliant on imports for 90% of fuel needs, has reeled—transport costs up 50%, per local reports—exacerbating a crisis that's displaced 400,000 since 2023.

Junta defenders, like junta spokesman Abdoulaye Maïga, blame "terrorist sabotage" for the hardship, vowing retaliation. Critics, including opposition figure Tiébilé Dramé, decry the regime's "mismanagement," pointing to delayed reforms and Wagner Group's ineffectiveness.

Rights groups like Amnesty International highlight civilian tolls, with 14 million children needing aid region-wide per UNICEF.