Mozambique Probes Return of Fuel Shortages as Queues Reappear

Mozambique's Second Fuel Shortage Wave: What the Government Says

Mozambique's government said on Tuesday that it is trying to identify what has triggered a new wave of fuel shortages, after long queues reappeared at filling stations in several parts of the country following weeks of relative calm.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Maputo, government spokesman Inocêncio Impissa told reporters that analysis is under way to understand what is actually happening, as the country appears to be starting a second wave of scarcity. He confirmed that the executive is aware of the situation, which has been building since the weekend, with some stations closed for lack of fuel and queues forming at those still selling. The government says it is collecting information to establish the causes.

The return of long lines has been felt for several days, notably in the city of Matola, in Maputo province, where crowding at pumps has resumed. During the earlier crisis in April and May, petrol and diesel shortages closed stations across the country, produced queues of dozens of vehicles and forced the police's Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR) to guard stations that still had fuel, controlling crowds of motorists and consumers carrying containers. According to the Lusa news agency, that shortage was serious enough to disrupt business activity and transport. The April–May disruption was linked to logistics difficulties caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

No timeline has been given for the government's findings, and there has been no official statement on how widespread the current shortage is or how long it is expected to last.

Behind the Queues: An Import Chain That Never Fully Recovered

A Supply Chain That Never Fully Recovered

The fact that scarcity has returned within weeks of normalisation points to weaknesses that were never fixed. The earlier crisis was attributed to logistics disruption caused by the Middle East conflict: rerouted shipping around southern Africa stretches delivery times and raises freight costs for fuel cargoes heading to Mozambique's ports.

Mozambique relies on imported refined fuels, leaving the entire system exposed to shipping schedules, port clearance and storage capacity. Any of those links can break, and the speed of the return to queues suggests the bottlenecks are structural rather than a one-off event.

Why the Causes Are Still Unclear

The government's announcement that it is still analysing the situation is telling: it implies limited real-time visibility into where fuel is, how much is in stock and where deliveries are stuck. No importers, terminals or distributors were named in the official statement, which means the diagnosis is still open — and with it the risk of ad-hoc measures rather than a coordinated response. The shortage appearing first in Matola also points to a distribution pinch-point near the Maputo port area rather than a nationwide supply failure.

What a Repeat Costs the Economy

The April–May episode already showed the damage: transport constrained, business activity disrupted and police deployed to manage crowds at pumps. A recurrence extends that damage into what should be a recovery period. Queuing consumes working hours of drivers and families, retailers and manufacturers relying on road transport face delays, and each day of uncertainty pushes consumers toward panic-buying in containers — a behaviour that worsened the previous crisis. If shortages persist, fuel price pressure and emergency measures, such as prioritising public transport and essential services, become increasingly likely.

What to Watch

The key questions are the causes the government eventually identifies, the speed at which fuel cargoes reach the country's ports, and any policy response such as station allocation rules or a renewed police presence. The April–May precedent suggests that official claims of normalisation should be weighed against conditions at the pump.

How Motorists and Businesses Can Cope While Supply Is Uncertain

For motorists in affected areas:

• Keep vehicle tanks above half and refuel while queues are short rather than waiting until the tank is empty — the April–May crisis showed stations can close without notice once supplies run out.
• Avoid filling portable containers unless there is a genuine need; consumer stockpiling extended queues and complicated crowd control at stations during the earlier crisis.
• Watch for the government's announced findings and any station-level allocation or rationing rules that may follow from the current investigation.

For businesses dependent on road transport:

• Review fuel reserves for fleet vehicles and identify alternative suppliers before the shortage spreads — the previous wave disrupted business activity and transport across the country.
• Adjust delivery schedules so essential routes run at less congested times, and alert customers to possible delays while supply remains uncertain.