Egypt

Gunfights erupt over diesel shortages

Egypt's nationwide fuel crisis has sparked violence in provinces, with one teenager suffering gunshot wounds amid unrest over increasingly scarce diesel supplies.
 
Eighteen-year-old Mohamed Zeyad suffered gunshot wounds to the arm during clashes in Minya.
 
Locals also blocked the highway in protest against authorities' failure to secure fuel quotas previously promised by the governor.
 
Police meanwhile seized over 100,000 litres of diesel en route to the local black market.
 
Security forces in Beni Suef also confiscated up to 1,400 litres of diesel and gasoline hidden by smugglers in jerry cans.
 
In Monufiya, a number of people were injured, including a policeman, as residents blocked the Cairo-Alexandria delta road.
 
Police arrested 6 before re-opening the highway.
 
Cars queueing outside gas stations in Damietta created extensive traffic jams.
 
A local Supply Ministry source meanwhile revealed that shortages had reached the 20-percent mark with authorities reserving fuel supplies to avoid bread shortages.
 
In Gharbiya, residents have now been unable to buy fuel for the second consecutive day. Gas stations have remained closed while taxi fares continue to rise.
 
Qalyubiya also witnessed traffic jams and roadblocks to protest against deteriorating fuel shortages.
 
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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