Niger is temporarily banning fuel sales to the public from 21h to 6h from this Monday, 19 October, except at stations officially designated to provide night-time service, according to a government announcement reported by the Niger News Agency (ANP).
The ministries of the Interior, Petroleum and Commerce present the arrangement as a way to facilitate deliveries to petrol stations, notably by the Société nigérienne de pétrole (Sonidep). They aim for better supply security and more regular availability at the pump.
To maintain night-time access to fuel, duty points must be designated in each communal or rural district. Their addresses, opening hours and operating arrangements will be communicated by the competent services before the scheme takes effect, according to the statement cited by the ANP.
The measure is accompanied by a ban on selling fuel in jerrycans outside petrol stations in all localities that have at least one station. The defence and security forces are responsible for enforcing these restrictions.
The reorganisation comes as supply difficulties have spread to Niamey. Queues formed outside the capital's still-supplied stations on Sunday 18 October, AFP observed, after several weeks of shortages in other cities across the country.