Her death comes as the crisis caused by the jihadist blockade has worsened, with schools and universities remaining shut for weeks.
The government has suspended learning institutions since last month and said that it would do “everything possible to address the crisis” so that they would reopen on Monday.
The dire situation has persisted, and on Friday the French foreign ministry advised its citizens to urgently leave the country while commercial flights were available.
On Sunday, AU Commission chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said he was concerned about the “rapid deterioration of the security situation where terrorist groups have imposed blockades, disrupted access to essential supplies, and severely worsened humanitarian conditions for civilian populations”.
He condemned the “deliberate attacks against innocent civilians” that had caused “unacceptable loss of lives and heightened instability”.
He added that the AU was ready “to support Mali, as well as all Sahel countries, during this particularly challenging period”.
For weeks, Mali has been hit by fuel shortages, especially in the capital Bamako, after militants from an al-Qaeda affiliate imposed a blockade by attacking tankers on major highways.
Mali is landlocked, so all fuel supplies are brought in by road from neighbouring states such as Senegal and Ivory Coast.
The military seized power in Mali in 2021 and promised to improve security, but the jihadist insurgency has continued and large parts of the north and east of the country remain outside government control. BBC
