AfrOil: Cameroon blames Western sanctions on Russia for fuel shortages

Cameroon’s Energy Ministry is blaming Western sanctions on Russia for the fuel shortages that have broken out around the country, according to a report from Voice of America (VOA).

Ministry officials said last week that Cameroon had started running low on fuel earlier in April because the imposition of sanctions triggered a rise in crude prices that made imports more expensive. Diesel shortages in particular are disrupting trade and transport, they noted, leaving thousands of cars, buses and trucks stranded on the roads. This includes hundreds of freight trucks bound for Chad and the Central African Republic that are now stuck at the border and unable to deliver their goods, they added.

Moise Vokeng, the president of the Cameroon Professional Transporters Network, was quoted by VOA as saying that the shortages could cause major damage to the economy if the government did not act quickly. Shipments of perishable goods have begun rotting because transport companies have been unable to secure fuel since mid-April, he noted.