Burundi has been paralyzed by fuel shortage that is threatening to further damage after years of political turmoil, reports VOA.
The East African country’s biggest oil foreign investors, Kenya’s KenolKobil and South Africa’s Engen, a subsidiary of Malaysian parastatal Petronas are the worst hit.
The government started rationing on 16h May which has paralyzed commerce and increased food prices by a third. In the capital, queues at empty petrol stations went round blocks.
“The oil sector is undermined by favoritism and lack of transparency, because the rare hard currency available in the central bank reserves is given to one oil importer,” said Gabriel Rufyiri, head of anti-graft organization OLUCOME.
“These days, fuel importers don’t get enough dollars to bring petroleum products,” said Daniel Mpitabakana, the government’s director of fuel management.
These are part of the allegations being made against the shortage. However government officials blame dollar shortages on aid cuts that donors imposed after President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a third term in 2015, triggering a wave of political violence
