Mali’s Fuel Shortage Exposes Widespread Corruption in Distribution Chain

Authorities in Mali have arrested more than thirty people in connection with a sprawling fuel diversion network uncovered in the capital, Bamako. The arrests come as residents face severe fuel shortages that have disrupted daily life and triggered long queues at petrol stations across the city.

Security officials say the suspects include filling station managers, attendants, and tanker drivers accused of diverting fuel supplies to the black market. The police operations were conducted across several districts, including Souleymane-Bougou, N’Tabacoro, Missabougou, Sogononiko, and Kalaban-Coro, leading to the seizure of multiple tanker trucks and large quantities of stolen fuel.

The President of the National Transitional Council (CNT), General Malick Diaw, has called on the government to intensify efforts to address the crisis and ease citizens’ growing frustration.

Officials say the ongoing investigation aims to dismantle the entire network behind the illegal trade, which has worsened the petrol shortage in Bamako. The authorities have vowed to continue the crackdown until what they describe as “a complete clean-up of the distribution chain” is achieved.

READ MORE: How Shittu Abdulafiz Opeyemi Made Dodo Ikire a Global Story

The fuel crisis has become one of the most pressing issues in Mali’s capital. It affects transport, electricity generation, and food supply chains and is now revealing deep corruption within the sector itself.

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