Fuel shortages have brought parts of Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, to a standstill, with hundreds of motorists queuing for petrol as the crisis enters its second week.
Footage shows long lines of vehicles stretching along roads in Lilongwe on Friday, with desperate motorists waiting to fill up. Several vehicles can also be seen being pushed towards a filling station after reportedly running out of fuel.
Some drivers say they have spent days in queues, with others forced to sleep in their vehicles, hoping to get petrol when supplies finally arrive.
One relieved motorist, who managed to refuel, said: “God help us not to spend nights at filling stations.”
Minibus driver Gerald Banda said he had already spent three days waiting.
“I have been staying here for the past three days waiting for fuel because there is an acute shortage of the fuel in the country. Luckily, today a tanker has offloaded some fuel, and I hope I will be able to buy it,” Banda said.
The shortages are taking a toll on daily life and businesses, leaving residents struggling to get to work, take their children to school and keep their livelihoods afloat.
“The fuel scarcity has affected us quite a lot because we are unable to go to work or drop off our kids,” said local resident Kondwani Undulu.
“Even our businesses, what we are doing, things have completely slowed down. We even don’t have clientele coming in, things have just, you know, tumbled really,” he added.
Malawi relies heavily on imported fuel, leaving it vulnerable to global price swings, foreign currency shortages and disruptions to supply routes.
The latest crisis has struck as fuel importers in parts of Africa face pressure from volatile energy markets and supply disruptions linked to tensions in the Middle East.
The Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority and the Ministry of Energy have yet to confirm when fuel supplies will return to normal.
Source: Viory
