BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The landlocked West African nation of Mali is being squeezed by a blockade on fuel imports imposed by jihadi militants.

Education Minister Amadou Sy Savane announced late Sunday that schools nationwide will be shut for two weeks because the scarcity of fuel makes it difficult for staff to get to work, as is the case with most other workers.

For a country that relies on fuel imports from neighboring Senegal and Ivory Coast, the blockade has been a major setback for Mali’s military junta.

Militants imposed the blockade to fight back against the military

Mali, a country of 25 million people, has battled jihadi militants for several decades, alongside neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Militants from the al-Qaida-backed Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin group annou

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