(Business in Cameroon) - The prefect of Logone et Chari department, Fombele Mattias Tayem, intervened to address the sharp increase in the price of super fuel in Kousseri, a town bordering Chad in the Far North. From CFA800, the price went up to CFA2,500, we learned.

In a crisis meeting on May 5, Tayem chaired discussions that now establish the price of a liter of super at CFA1,000. According to Cameroonian authorities and transporters, the price surge observed over the recent weeks is a result of strong demand for super fuel from Chad.

Chad's Djarmaya refinery has been closed for maintenance since the start of April, leading to a shortage of fuel. According to local media, the maintenance work is expected to continue for almost two months.

The insufficient imports of petroleum products authorized by the Chadian authorities, coupled with speculations by some local distributors of petroleum products, have caused fuel shortages in Chad, particularly for super. This situation has led Chadian consumers to resort to the neighboring town of Kousseri in Cameroon, where Chadian traders have also found a good opportunity. They buy large quantities of fuel and transport it across the Logone River, which separates the two countries, to sell at a high price in the Chadian capital.

Sources say that even during periods when the Djarmaya refinery was operational, trade in petroleum products between Chad and Cameroon was thriving. Chadians often refuel in Cameroon during periods of tight supply, while Cameroonians usually prefer to fill up their tanks in N'Djamena where pump prices are more attractive.

Let’s note that Cameroonian authorities have deployed law enforcement to combat fuel smuggling into Chad.

Translated from French by Firmine AIZAN

Written by Brice R. Mbodiam