Vehicles line up to refuel at a gas station in Tunis, Tunisia, on Oct. 14, 2022. Tunisia decided to release strategic oil reserves amid rising global oil prices and fuel shortages in the country, Director General of the Tunisian Society of Refining Industries (STIR) Fakhta Mahouachi said on Thursday. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)
TUNIS, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia decided to release strategic oil reserves amid rising global oil prices and fuel shortages in the country, Director General of the Tunisian Society of Refining Industries (STIR) Fakhta Mahouachi said on Thursday.
"A number of internal and external factors have forced Tunisia to use its strategic stocks of oil," Mahouachi told private radio station Mosaique FM, adding that this is a measure adopted by several countries following the recent surge in oil prices on global markets.
Tunisia's decision on the release of strategic oil reserves came after three consecutive days of fuel shortages at all stations in the Grand Tunis area, which includes the provinces of Tunis, Ariana, Ben Arous, and Manouba.
Mahouachi confirmed the fuel supply will improve at all gas stations in the next 24 hours after the discharge of fuel cargoes from a ship in the northern province of Bizerte.
Long queues are seen at gas stations across the capital Tunis. Tunisian authorities are working to mitigate the repercussions of a fuel shortage, as it has been accompanied by a significant drop in the market supply of a number of essential commodities, such as cooking oil, butter, milk, sugar, and mineral water.
Saleh Ben Sassi, a 49-year-old employee at the Ministry of Agriculture, told Xinhua that he had to get up very early and go to the gas station near his neighborhood in El Ouardia, a residential area in central Tunis, in a bid to get a few liters of fuel before work.
"I'm not the only one who came early ... in this long queue, I'm not sure if I'll get my share of fuel," Ben Sassi said.
"The situation has become very worrisome, especially since there is a severe shortage of several other consumer goods in addition to the lack of fuel," he added.
Ben Sassi believed there was hope that the shortage of essential goods could be solved soon. "The government has promised to supply the domestic market with all the products by the beginning of next week," he said.
Fatma al-Yahawi, a secondary school teacher, told Xinhua that she had to skip class for the second day in a row, because her car was out of petrol due to the "suffocating" and "unprecedented" fuel shortage.
On the sidelines of the fourth edition of the Tunisian-Libyan Economic Forum held on Wednesday, Tunisian Trade Minister Fadila Al-Rabhi stressed that all consumer products are available.
"I want to reassure the citizens that all materials are available, including fuel," she said, adding "we call on the citizens to rationalize consumption, and there is no need to be anxious." ■
Photo taken on Oct. 14, 2022 shows a closed gas station in Tunis, Tunisia. Tunisia decided to release strategic oil reserves amid rising global oil prices and fuel shortages in the country, Director General of the Tunisian Society of Refining Industries (STIR) Fakhta Mahouachi said on Thursday. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)