The US Embassy is urging Americans in Mali to "leave immediately" this country.

The United States warned Americans in Mali on Tuesday to leave the country immediately using commercial flights, in the context of the local government facing increasing pressure from insurgents associated with al-Qaeda.

On Sunday, the government ordered the suspension of school and university classes across the country for two weeks due to a lack of fuel. According to some analysts, the fuel blockade is part of a pressure campaign by militant groups against the military-led government, aimed at cutting the country's 'economic oxygen.'

The airport in Bamako remains open, the U.S. embassy noted, advising Americans to leave using commercial flights, instead of traveling overland to neighboring countries, due to the risk of "terrorist attacks along the roads."