Overnight petrol queues in Ethiopia as war shortages hit

Ethiopians said Friday they slept in their cars in hours-long queues for petrol as shortages caused by the Middle East war began to take their toll. 

The effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, through which a fifth of the world's oil and gas normally passes, has caused shortages in many countries. 

Ethiopia, a nation in the Horn of Africa with around 130 million people, is particularly vulnerable as it imports all its petrol, primarily from the Gulf.

Drivers waiting in an enormous queue at a petrol station in the Summit 72 area of the capital Addis Ababa said the wait was "more than a day". 

"I've been in the queue since last night at around 7:00 pm. I spent the night in my car without food," said taxi driver Awoke Derese on Friday morning.

"I have already lost two days of business. I pay 2,000 birr ($13) per day in rental fees for the car. My family is at risk because I can't support them," he told AFP. 

Shortages started to be noticed earlier this week. At another petrol station in the Summit 72 area, a worker said they had been closed for four days and did not know when fresh deliveries would arrive. 

Bakery worker Natenahel Gedamu said his business needed fuel for generators and baking machines. 

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"We ran out yesterday and have not produced anything since," he said.

"I'm worried the station may run out of fuel before I reach it. I've already tried several stations -- this feels like my last chance," added Natenahel, who had been queueing since 4:00 pm the previous day.

Land-locked Ethiopia relies on the port of Djibouti for its imports. It has only 13 strategic reserve depots, according to the state-owned Ethiopian Petroleum Supply Enterprise, which did not respond to requests for comment from AFP. 

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week urged Ethiopians to "use oil sparingly and prioritise basic needs" until "the problem is resolved". 

More than 40 percent of Ethiopians live below the poverty line, according to the World Bank, and fear the inflation -- already running around 10 percent -- from rising fuel prices.

Addis Ababa has been undergoing a major reconstruction drive in recent years, but some building projects were on hold this week, AFP journalists saw. 

This included the "corridor" project to widen and renovate its streets and work in the Bole district near the airport. 

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