Niger Republic has seek Nigeria’s assistance to alleviate a severe fuel scarcity crisis that has brought the country to a standstill.
For weeks, Niger has been grappling with a crippling fuel shortage, leading to long queues at petrol stations, skyrocketing black-market prices, and widespread economic disruption.
“Our tanks have been dry for three days. No-one can say when we’ll be resupplied,” grumbled Mohamed, manager of another petrol station on the capital’s outskirts.
“You see that taxi over there? The driver went around town and finally ran out of fuel here,” the manager, who did not want to give his full name, told AFP.
Exasperated Nigeriens can often be seen under the blazing sun pushing their motorbikes or walking through the streets carrying an empty can.
Niger — which produces oil but refines only a small amount of it — has suffered fuel shortages in the past but not to the current extent.
The Soraz refinery in Zinder is the only one in the country.
It “can no longer satisfy domestic demand”, which has surged for more than a year now, the state-owned Nigerien Company for Oil Products (Sonidep) said on Saturday.
The shortage hit some of Niger’s towns first before reaching the capital, Niamey, where many petrol stations now have nothing to sell.
At the few garages in the city centre that still had fuel on Sunday, motorists and motorbike riders waited patiently and the roads were quieter than normal.
“I’m hoping to get two litres of petrol to do some very urgent shopping,” Moussa Saidou said.
Sitting astride his motorbike, mason Issa Mahamadou made no attempt to hide his anger. “I want to visit my work sites but I’ve no more fuel,” he fumed.
With the decline in the black market “all the country’s (fuel) consumption now rests on domestic production”, Sonidep’s Oumani Aboubacar said.
According to Zagazola Makama, a Counter Insurgency Expert said Niger’s fuel crisis didn’t happen overnight. It was the direct consequence of a disastrous confrontation between the ruling junta and Chinese oil companies, which have long dominated Niger’s petroleum sector.
The trouble began in March 2024, when China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) granted the Nigerien government a $400 million advance, using future crude oil deliveries as collateral. This deal was meant to help Niger cope with the crippling economic sanctions imposed by ECOWAS following the July 2023 coup. However, when it came time to repay the debt, the junta found itself strapped for cash.
Rather than negotiating, the military rulers decided to strong-arm China. In a move that stunned industry insiders, they slapped an $80 billion tax demand on SORAZ (Zinder Refinery Company) despite the state-owned Sonidep already owing SORAZ a staggering $250 billion. When China refused to provide additional loans, the junta retaliated by expelling Chinese oil executives from the country and seizing SORAZ’s bank accounts.
Zagazola futher said that his reckless decision backfired almost immediately. Niger’s entire petroleum sector which is heavily reliant on Chinese expertise and investment began to collapse.
The SORAZ refinery, the lifeline of Niger’s fuel supply, ground to a halt, and fuel shortages spread like wildfire. This crisis could not have come at a worse time. The Niger-Benin oil pipeline, a project designed to boost Niger’s crude exports to 100,000 barrels per day by 2025, was also at risk. With Chinese engineers gone and no viable alternative in place, the junta’s decision plunged the country into economic uncertainty.
– Turning To Nigeria For Help
For weeks, the military leadership refused to acknowledge the crisis publicly. State-controlled media was ordered to stay silent about the fuel shortage and the growing unrest among Nigeriens, who were forced to buy petrol at sky-high black-market prices.
But as the situation worsened, the junta had no choice but to seek external help even if it meant approaching Nigeria, the very country they had repeatedly criticized since the coup.
Without any public announcement, Niger quietly sent a delegation to Abuja, appealing for an emergency fuel supply.
The irony was lost on no one this was the same junta that had openly defied ECOWAS sanctions, severed ties with France and the West, and aligned itself with Russia. Yet when faced with economic collapse, it was Nigeria that they turned to for salvation.
Despite months of false accusations, name calling, diplomatic snubs, and hostility, Nigeria once again stepped in to help. It was gathered that the Nigerian Government approved the release of 300 fuel trucks, which immediately began crossing into Niger to ease the crisis.
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