Malawi and Zambia have temporarily suspended fuel imports through Mozambique’s Beira port due to unrest following allegations of fraud in the country’s general elections on October 9.
Puma Energy Zambia instructed its trucks to remain in secure locations in Mozambique in early November, while Malawian fuel companies partially halted their imports via Beira, according to local sources.
Raymond Likambale, spokesperson for Malawi’s National Petroleum Company, stated that fuel will now be sourced from Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam port despite the significantly longer transport distance. The change is expected to exacerbate fuel shortages in southern Malawi, particularly in Blantyre, which already relies on Tanzanian imports.
Likambale added that the switch to Dar es Salaam will continue until Mozambique’s unrest subsides. An alternative route through Mozambique’s northern port of Nacala is also being utilized, with one million liters of diesel en route to Malawi. However, train operations along the Nacala corridor remain limited after rioters set fire to a goods train last week.
Under normal conditions, Malawi sources 50% of its fuel through Beira, 20% through Nacala, and 30% through Dar es Salaam, according to the Malawian Energy Regulatory Authority.