Temporary relief for Zimbabwe

The Botswana government has agreed to supply about 15 million litres of diesel and petrol to Zimbabwe to help ease
that country's critical fuel shortage, a Botswana Foreign Affairs official told IRIN.

The official said Botswana's Foreign Minister Mompati Merafhe told parliament on Monday that Zimbabwe had requested a total of 20 million litres of fuel, consisting of 10 million litres of diesel, five million litres of petrol and five million litres of jet fuel.

"The government has agreed to supply Zimbabwe with 10 million litres of diesel and five million litres of petrol on lines of credit," the official told IRIN. He said that the government would supply these immediately by rail, adding that the government of President Festus Mogae also undertook to
source jet fuel for its cash-strapped neighbour.

A Botswana economist told IRIN that he believed the decision does not make economic sense. "Botswana will never be paid for this supplies. Providing credit lines to a country which is a high credit risk is a bad economic decision," the economist said.

Botswana will, at the same time, donate one million litres of fuel to Mozambique to help with rescue operations in submerged parts of the country where helicopters have been plucking stranded people from rooftops and trees, the Foreign Affairs official added.