Fuel crisis returns to Baghdad with long queues and closed stations

Baghdad and several Iraqi provinces are experiencing a new crisis in the supply of gasoline for cars and diesel for long vehicles, which has caused long queues in front of gas stations and traffic jams on a number of the capital’s streets and bridges, coinciding with the closure of dozens of stations, according to observations by Shafaq News Agency correspondents on Thursday.

Agency correspondents observed dozens of gas stations closing their doors for reasons that are still unclear, while large numbers of cars lined up in front of the operating stations, leading to queues that stretched for long distances and caused traffic disruptions in several areas of Baghdad.

The new crisis comes just 15 days after a previous crisis in the capital and several provinces was resolved, raising fears of a repeat of fuel supply disruptions at a similar pace.

A number of motorists told Shafaq News Agency that gasoline-related crises are becoming more frequent in short periods, questioning the reasons for their recurrence and demanding that the concerned authorities explain the reasons for the fuel shortage and the closure of stations.

Queues continue to form at a number of gas stations in Baghdad, amid no official explanation yet regarding the reasons for the new crisis or the nature of the measures taken to address it.

Shafaq.com