Niger bans night petrol sales as fuel shortage spreads

Niger’s government has banned petrol sales across the country between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., except at designated stations, after a fuel shortage that has spread to the capital, Niamey, Africanews reported on Oct. 25, 2026.

The measure hits a country where motorists have queued for days. Africanews reported on Oct. 19 that shortages had reached Niamey, and one resident, Harouna Chérif, said: “For a week now we’ve been struggling, we can’t even find fuel to get to work.”

Authorities said the curfew is temporary. They said it is meant to let suppliers, including the state Nigerien Petroleum Company (Sonidep), restock stations and make deliveries more regular. The government also banned selling fuel in jerry cans outside stations in any area that has at least one petrol station, according to Africanews and Voice of Nigeria. Neither outlet said how long the rules will last, and Africanews did not say how the government announced them.

Authorities asked Nigeriens to show “understanding and civic-mindedness” while the measures aim to improve supply, Africanews reported.

Taxi drivers say they are being squeezed. Moussa Idé Boubacar, a driver in Niamey, said he had been unable to make his daily payments for two days. He said drivers normally earn about 20,000 a day, with 8,000 going to payments and 12,000 to fuel. The reports did not name the currency.

The taxi union Synctaxi has asked for the curfew to be relaxed for operators. Its secretary-general, Ganda Sanda, said buying fuel requires authorization and that stations must stay open around the clock. He said the union is appealing to the governor to reconsider and that the transport sector “makes a significant contribution to the country’s development.”

Residents said officials had told them the shortage was over, even as lines continued. Abdoulaye Zakari, a Niamey resident, told Africanews: “We’ve been told the shortage is over, yet we still don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.” The reports did not say what caused the shortage or when supplies will return to normal.

For Canadians, the situation adds to existing warnings. The Government of Canada’s travel advice for Niger, last updated Oct. 15, 2026, tells Canadians to avoid all travel to the country because of political instability and the risks of terrorism and kidnapping.

Elsewhere in the region, Nigeria, Niger’s southern neighbour, is tracing Ebola contacts, and Human Rights Watch recently reported civilian killings in neighbouring Mali.

Whether the curfew eases the queues will be clear in the coming days as stations restock. The government has not set an end date.

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Via Africanews and Voice of Nigeria.