People across Burundi have been queueing for hours at petrol stations (gas stations) – hoping, but with no guarantee -- that there will be some petrol when they finally reach the pump. The country has been experiencing a petrol shortage since February 11 and it’s also the fourth such crisis since November 2022. For many, this situation demonstrates the severity of the economic consequences of the political crisis that has gripped this small African nation since 2015, a nation that is often listed as one of the world’s poorest.
People online have been circulating photos and videos online showing shockingly long queues in front of petrol stations in Bujumbura, French-speaking Burundi’s economic capital, and other cities since February 11. Some users have of course been complaining about the amount of time it takes now to get such a critical staple as petrol, according to news site Iwacu.
