Petrol stations closed after price hikes

Almost all the petrol station in Kigali have closed down following an increase in the price of petroleum products, the Rwanda News Agency (RNA) reported. It said traffic police had to intervene to stop chaos as vehicles queued for petrol at the few stations that remained open. The closure of petrol stations followed a government decision to increase the prices without the consent of the petroleum dealers. The dealers said they would now be operating at a loss and had therefore decided to close down their stations. The government’s decision has led to hikes in commuter fares and consumer goods. According to Rwandan radio, the government and dealers met later and issued a statement agreeing to set up a technical committee to look into the fluctuation of petroleum prices on international markets as well as the fluctuating dollar exchange rate against the Rwandan franc.