A senior official in Tunisia’s labour union said on Monday, Tunisia faces fuel shortages as it now has petrol to last only a week.
The Energy minister Naila Nouira however said a new oil tanker was unloading at Bizerte, blaming long queues at fuel stations on people hoarding supplies.
Tunis has experienced long vehicular queues over recent days with people waiting to fill their tanks.Concerned citizens fear that another crisis may be unfolding in terms of public finances.
The unloading tanker offers Tunisia an extra few days, taking it to 10-14 days in total, down from the usual 60 days of strategic reserves, said Salouan Smiri, a senior official in the oil section of the UGTT union.
At the moment, shortages of some subsidised goods, empty supermarket shelves and economic hardships are causing protests. The government is seeking international bailout to finance debt repayments and state expenditure.
“The shortage of fuel supply may resume if the state does not find enough liquidity to pay for upcoming loads,” Smiri said on radio.
The government has repeatedly denied that it is struggling to pay importers for goods such as petrol, flour and sugar.
However, while Nouira blamed the shortage on consumer behaviour and global distribution challenges, she also acknowledged that payments to importers were contributing to the problem.
Last week the ratings agency Moody’s said Tunisia faced dire fiscal and external imbalances, and elevating financing risks, representing significant credit weakness.
