Rumbek town in Lakes State is suffering a fuel shortage with six petrol stations shut down amid rising prices, a local official and riders said.
Peter Maliap Chieny, the Mayor of Rumbek Town, told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that they had resolved to increase fuel prices from 900 SSP to 1,200 SSP per litre due to the shortage in the area.
Malok said security forces have also been deployed to all the petrol stations to control people buying fuel in large quantities.
“We met the traders together with the minister of cooperatives and rural development, and the traders demanded to increase the price of fuel to 1,200 SSP per litre, which we agreed on,” he said.
“We are trying to discourage the black market because there are people who are trying to exploit the situation in the market, and that’s why we deployed security agents to monitor the fuel stations,” he added.
According to the Mayor, only three fuel stations are operating out of nine in Rumbek town.
Malek Jeremiah, a Boda-boda rider in Rumbek, said they currently buy a litre of petrol from the parallel market at 3,500 SSP.
“We are almost three days now experiencing a fuel shortage in Rumbek, and the price is too high to afford. The fuel price in petrol stations has increased to 1,200 SSP per litre. Only three fuel stations are working, and in the black market, the litre is sold at 3,500 SSP,” Jeremiah said.
Jeremiah revealed that the hike in fuel prices has also increased the fare of Boda-Boda users in the area. “Along distance like UNMISS and airport is 700 SSP and remote villages is 1,500 per a passenger. A short distance from town to Maborngap, Akuac, Malualakan, and Malual-bab is charged with 500 SSPS,” he explained.
A petrol station manager who identified himself as Abdel-Fattah also confirmed the rise in fuel prices.
“The fuel price in our fuel station differs from that in the black market. In the petrol station, the price is 1,200 SSP while there in the black, it is 3,500 to 4,500 SSP per 1.5 litres,” Abdel-Fattah said.