Timbuktu without water or electricity as fuel shortage shuts down power station

Timbuktu has been without water or electricity for four days, according to a report by RFI.

A monthlong fuel shortage has brought the Malian city’s thermal power station to a halt - shutting down basic services.

Residents sweltering under 40 degree heat are having to rely on a few boreholes, some walking for hours to reach them.

The city’s hospital is reportedly still functioning, thanks to generators and solar power.

The landlocked West African nation has been under a fuel-blockade by al Qaeda-linked militants since September. Convoys of tankers bringing supplies from abroad are ambushed and set alight in a bid to put pressure on Mali’s ruling junta.

Residents say they’ve been relying on black market supplies brought in from Algeria. But those have now dried up.

According to RFI, municipal authorities are putting a water distribution campaign in place until the situation is resolved.