In an announcement on state television hours ago, Mali’s Education Minister Amadou Sy Savan announced the closure of all schools, including Universities, all across the country from Monday, “due to disruptions in fuel supplies that are affecting the movement.

He said authorities were “doing everything possible” to restore normal fuel supplies before schools and universities reopen on November 10.

The move comes as militants from the al-Qaida-backed Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin group have maintained a ban on fuel imports to Mali since early September.

The blockade has negatively impacted the country’s already feeble economy, causing the price of commodities and transport to rise.

The capital, Bamako, has seen huge queues form at gas stations.

The junta has announced fuel restrictions “until further notice,” saying it would give priority to emergency vehicles such as ambulances and hearses, and to those used for public transit and goods transport.