A top business official in Wau town in South Sudan’s Western Bahr al Ghazal state said traders lost money after implementing a local order setting the price of fuel at 13 SSP per litre.

Wol Charles, head of the trade union, told Radio Tamazuj that fuel shortage may hit the state again at any time when the existing quantity of fuel runs out: “Now the traders are complaining about the price of fuel set by the government recently, so it means that there will be a problem next time.”

He further said the fuel crisis was initially was resolved by an agreement reached by the state ministry of trade and fuel suppliers to provide the fuel at reasonable prices. He accused the municipal authorities of interfering in the matter.

He pointed out that one litre of fuel costs 11 SSP in the country’s capital Juba, saying they add 2 SSP for transportation to the state.

The official pointed to taxes levied by the government in the state. Wol revealed that the traders are unhappy about the current sale price, stressing that the fuel shortage may hit the state again at any time.

Last week, traders shut down all fuel stations in Wau in protest of a government decision requiring them to revise down the price of one litre of fuel from 16 South Sudanese pounds to maximum 13 South Sudan pounds, but they later agreed.