First petrol, now diesel rationed in Eritrea
ASMARA, Nov 1, 2004
(AFP) - Fuel
rationing in the Horn of Africa state of Eritrea, which began in mid-October
with petrol, has been extended to diesel, it emerged Monday. "Since the
end of last week, diesel has also been rationed and reserved for diplomats and
the government," a UN official in the capital, Asmara, told AFP.
"The UN does
not get coupons. We have to use the reserves we have in Adi Guadad" a town
near Asmara, he added.
The manager of an
Asmara fuel station who asked not to be identified told AFP that, aside for
supplies allowed to the government and diplomats, "taxi drivers are
allowed 25 litres of fuel a week."
Neither Energy
Minister Tesfai Gebreselassie nor the general manager of the Petroleum
Corporation of Eritrea, Tesfai Zecarias, were available for comment on Monday.
When petrol was
rationed in mid-October Information Minister Ali Abdu said the move was due to
increasing prices on the world market.