Libya Shuts 490 Petrol Stations Over Alleged Smuggling
Libya's Tripoli-based government shut 490 petrol stations on 2 September over alleged fuel smuggling. The interior minister said stations must meet specifications to reopen. The post Libya Shuts 490 Petrol Stations Over Alleged Smuggling appeared first on The Rio Times .
On 2 September, Libya's Tripoli-based Government of National Unity shut down 490 petrol stations due to alleged fuel smuggling. The interior minister, Emad Trabelsi, stated that only stations meeting approved specifications would be allowed to reopen. The closures target smuggling, which is driven by the far cheaper subsidised fuel compared to market prices.
The order applies to western Libya, where the government has authority, while the eastern part, controlled by a rival administration, is not affected. Fuel demand surged after the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, with daily distribution reaching 9-9.5 million litres, compared to the usual 6.5 million litres. This spike was attributed to holiday travel and panic buying.
Libya sells diesel at a low official price of 0.15 Libyan dinars per litre, creating a significant price gap of over 50 times between the official and black-market prices, making smuggling highly profitable. Despite the closures, fuel infrastructure has been targeted by drone attacks, with one incident causing minor damage to pipelines and tanks at a Tripoli depot on 3 September.
Written by urgent.news from The Rio Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
