Three-Week-Long Gas Queues in Burundi as Currency Shortage Hits
- Commuters stranded as nation has insufficient funds for fuel
- Government wants to boost agriculture exports to earn currency
Photographer: Berthier Muugirraaneza/AP Photos
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In the three weeks taxi driver Jean-Paul Nsabimana spent lining up for gas at a filling station in Burundi’s capital, Kenya saw deadly protests, South Africa ushered in a new government, and Britain replaced its prime minister.
His epic wait isn’t unusual in the tiny African nation that’s the poorest on the planet, where a foreign-currency shortage means fuel pumps are running dry. It’s common for citizens to spend days and weeks in queues waiting to fill up with gasoline.