South Sudan: Our Worst Ever Fuel Crisis in 2014

By Malith Alier, Juba

This is neither the first worst fuel shortage year nor shall it be the last. It happened before in 2012 and 2013 and the event of this year is just a recurrence. An interesting part of it is that nobody seems to take responsibility for the shortages. The authorities responsible always look further away to apportion blame on far countries and the invisible forces unrelated to them.

The government units directly responsible for energy include Ministry of Petroleum and Mining, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Petroleum and Gas Commission and to some extend the Central Bank of South Sudan (BSS). If any out there wants to apportioned blame, then he/she should look no further than these institutions.

The shortage of fuel and US Dollar usually go hand in hand. Talk of shortage of fuel and you will be reminded of the scarcity of Dollars or some called it shortage of “hard Currency.” The fuel and Dollar scarcity shared another trait; they both caused long queues in Dollar stations and fuel stations. At the time of apparent or perceived scarcity of these two important items, something called hoarding occurs. Those who handle them divert them to the so-called “black markets.” Black market is a parallel market were one alternatively finds both in abundance to satisfy needs albeit at a higher cost.

The major media outlets in form of BBC and Aljezeera reported about the indifference of South Sudanese in the face of suffering like during fuel crises. The people on the Dollar and fuel queues expressed no emotions which is the real expression of what people in the part of this planet had gone through; suffering after another.

The time is at hand to make this unnecessary suffering history. This means that the people responsible must be made to account for their failures. The failure to act must be directly traced to responsible institutions of government and therefore, the responsible individuals should be forced out of office. Heads must start rolling!

About Post Author

PaanLuel Wël

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PaanLuel Wël is the founder and editor-in-chief of PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd, a news website that covers news, opinions, analysis, history, culture and literature of South Sudan and the world. Founded in July 2011 by PaanLuel Wël to create a platform for free expression and constructive dialogue, the website features articles from various contributors, including columnists, commentators, poets, authors, activists and academics. PaanLuel Wël believes that media can play a vital role in informing, educating and empowering the people to participate in nation-building and social transformation. He also believes that media can foster a culture of dialogue, tolerance and diversity among different communities and groups, and hopes to inspire and mentor the next generation of South Sudanese writers and journalists.

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