{"id":99702,"date":"2026-04-16T16:11:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T16:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-faces-fuel-crisis-with-long-queues-and-closed-pumps"},"modified":"2026-04-16T16:53:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T16:53:45","slug":"maputo-faces-fuel-crisis-with-long-queues-and-closed-pumps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-faces-fuel-crisis-with-long-queues-and-closed-pumps","title":{"rendered":"Maputo Faces Fuel Crisis with Long Queues and Closed Pumps"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

What You Need to Know<\/h4>\n

Maputo is currently facing a severe fuel crisis, marked by long queues at petrol stations and widespread closures. The situation has escalated over three days, prompting the Mozambican government to implement emergency measures to ensure fuel supply and distribution. Armed police are present to manage the chaos as residents struggle to secure fuel amid rising tensions and fears of shortages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Africa-Press – Mozambique. <\/strong> <\/span>Maputo is experiencing its third day of chaos across several streets, with widespread queues of motorists trying to refuel, as most petrol stations remain closed and others operate under reinforced police presence.<\/p>\n

During a round conducted by Lusa this morning, armed police were seen on Avenida 24 de Julho in central Maputo attempting to organise access for people carrying jerrycans at one of the few stations with fuel.<\/p>\n

The measure follows altercations recorded between customers since Wednesday at some stations, in disputes over access to fuel, with reports and complaints of staff allegedly demanding payments to bypass queues, further increasing tension at these locations.<\/p>\n

The majority of petrol stations in Maputo remain closed without fuel, some already for the third day, while others have queues that are congesting traffic across the capital, with limits imposed on the maximum amount of petrol and diesel equivalent to 1,000 meticais (13.2 euros).<\/p>\n

At the stations, alongside hundreds of people on foot carrying jerrycans and empty bottles, and dozens of vehicles, there are also people selling used bottles and containers to those trying to secure small amounts of fuel, with waiting times of several hours and no guarantee of success.<\/p>\n

The situation, which has worsened in Maputo over the past three days, is also beginning to be seen in other parts of the country, according to reports from several provinces.<\/p>\n

In response to this crisis, which is already affecting activity in the country, the Mozambican Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy has announced the approval of \u201cexceptional and immediate measures\u201d to ensure the supply of liquid fuels nationwide, guaranteeing rapid restocking of stations and availability of fuel to the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe decision follows constraints observed in the distribution process, despite fuel imports continuing to be carried out regularly,\u201d according to a statement from the National Directorate of Hydrocarbons and Fuels (DNHC), linked to the effects of the conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

According to the Mozambican Government, in order to ensure the immediate normalisation of the situation, the ministry has authorised, \u201con an exceptional and urgent basis\u201d, retail operators to purchase petroleum products from any licensed distributor with available stock, regardless of existing contractual arrangements.<\/p>\n

This measure, according to the Government, will enable rapid restocking of petrol stations, which in recent days have recorded queues stretching hundreds of metres, widespread congestion, and closures due to lack of petrol or diesel.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe measure aims to ensure that all fuel stations have fuel available for sale to the public and will remain in force until all distribution operators recover the conditions to resume normal distribution operations,\u201d it states.<\/p>\n

In this context, the DNHC calls for calm, discourages hoarding and the creation of household fuel reserves, as well as refuelling beyond strictly necessary needs.<\/p>\n

The Mozambican Government acknowledged on Tuesday \u201cpressure\u201d on fuel stations, where huge queues have formed, at least in Maputo, amid fears of stock shortages and price increases due to the conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed, we have been monitoring some pressure at petrol stations. The available information is that there is still stock. I cannot here provide a message on how many days or weeks, but this is an issue under daily monitoring at government level,\u201d said Minister Salim Vala\u0301, spokesperson for the weekly Council of Ministers meeting held in Maputo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new prices will have to come,\u201d said the President of the Republic on Tuesday, justifying the fuel situation with the war in the Middle East, which is affecting Mozambique, whose imports depend on 80% of shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, blocked by Iran and now by the United States of America.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as the war continues, we will not be able to continue stretching the rope [on current prices, still without increases] for much longer,\u201d said Daniel Chapo.<\/p>\n

The fuel crisis in Mozambique has roots in global conflicts affecting supply chains, particularly the ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Mozambique relies heavily on fuel imports, with 80% of its shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint now under threat due to geopolitical issues. This dependency has made the nation vulnerable to external shocks, leading to significant disruptions in fuel availability and rising prices, which have sparked public unrest and government intervention.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Mozambique<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What You Need to Know Maputo is currently facing a severe fuel crisis, marked by long queues at petrol stations and widespread closures. The situation has escalated over three days, prompting the Mozambican government to implement emergency measures to ensure fuel supply and distribution. Armed police are present to manage the chaos as residents struggle […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":99701,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[8698,8729,259,283,8779],"class_list":["post-99702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-fuel-crisis","tag-government-response","tag-maputo","tag-mozambique","tag-petrol-stations"],"yoast_head":"\nMaputo Faces Fuel Crisis with Long Queues and Closed Pumps - Mozambique<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Maputo endures a fuel crisis with closed petrol stations and long queues as the government implements emergency measures.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-faces-fuel-crisis-with-long-queues-and-closed-pumps\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maputo Faces Fuel Crisis with Long Queues and Closed Pumps\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Maputo endures a fuel crisis with closed petrol stations and long queues as the government implements emergency measures.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-faces-fuel-crisis-with-long-queues-and-closed-pumps\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mozambique\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-16T16:11:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-16T16:53:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/04\/sm_1776358116.412293.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"864\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"652\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-faces-fuel-crisis-with-long-queues-and-closed-pumps#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-faces-fuel-crisis-with-long-queues-and-closed-pumps\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Maputo Faces Fuel Crisis with Long Queues and Closed Pumps\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-16T16:11:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-16T16:53:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-faces-fuel-crisis-with-long-queues-and-closed-pumps\"},\"wordCount\":791,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-faces-fuel-crisis-with-long-queues-and-closed-pumps#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/04\/sm_1776358116.412293.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"fuel crisis\",\"government response\",\"Maputo\",\"Mozambique\",\"petrol stations\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-faces-fuel-crisis-with-long-queues-and-closed-pumps#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-faces-fuel-crisis-with-long-queues-and-closed-pumps\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/maputo-faces-fuel-crisis-with-long-queues-and-closed-pumps\",\"name\":\"Maputo Faces Fuel Crisis with Long Queues and Closed Pumps - 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