Fuel Crisis Deepens in Ethiopia, Burundi, and Mozambique as Stations Run Dry and Long Queues Form

East African countries are now feeling the heat from the global fuel crisis, as neighboring countries are hit by serious fuel shortages.

The supply routes to the region are said to have been disrupted by the Middle East conflict, but the crisis will persist more than expected, warned Treasury Cabinet Secretary (CS) John Mbadi, who has urged Kenyans to “tighten their seatbelts.”

In Ethiopia, empty fuel tanks have left motorists scrambling and waiting for days to get petrol in Addis Ababa.

The daily supply of diesel has been cut in half, leading to long queues and forcing public and private transport to grind to a halt in the city, leaving many Ethiopian alternatives in the dark compared to Kenya.

Impact of Middle East Conflict on African Fuel Supply

The fuel crunch is affecting Burundi’s economy; long lines have been witnessed in the country’s petrol stations with people queuing for hours for a fill-up as disruptions to public transport grind normal life to a halt in the capital, Bujumbura, and also in Maputo, Mozambique.

The disruption, according to Mbadi, is due to the instability and conflict raging in the Middle East region, which is one of the largest suppliers of oil globally, accounting for over 20% of global oil production and supplying most of Africa’s fuel.

“The war in the Middle East is forcing world markets into a scramble for alternative sources of fuel,” he told the press, and that it has had “100% interruption” in output for that region.

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Kenya’s G2G Fuel Import Strategy

To maintain the flow of fuel in Kenya, the country is depending on a government-to-government, or G2G, arrangement.

Mbadi said Kenya has enlisted oil marketing firms to import oil from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Emirates National Oil Company, and Aramco, avoiding the unstable region entirely.

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“We contracted some oil marketing companies to source oil for us elsewhere in the world. They have been able to look for other places that are not the Middle East,” he said.

He further stated that many refineries in the region have been hit by Iran, a contributing factor to the shortages.

The conflict has contributed to increased fuel prices and supply chain disruptions in countries such as Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and the DRC.

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