The Ethiopian government has instructed all public institutions and state-owned enterprises to place non-essential employees on annual leave as diesel shortages paralyze transportation nationwide.
The directive affects civil servants and SOE workers across the country as fuel supplies have disappeared from pumping stations in Addis Ababa and other regions over the past two weeks.
Diesel has vanished from filling stations throughout the capital and elsewhere as the government struggles to manage supply disruptions affecting the transportation sector. The mandatory leave measure represents an attempt to reduce fuel demand as the crisis deepens.
The shortage has created widespread transportation difficulties across Ethiopia's road network. Public and commercial vehicles face severe constraints as diesel becomes increasingly unavailable at retail outlets.
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The fuel scarcity stems from ongoing global supply chain disruptions that have affected Ethiopia's petroleum imports. The government has not specified which positions qualify as non-essential or indicated how long the forced leave period will continue.
The mandatory leave order represents an escalation from previous fuel conservation measures as Ethiopia grapples with supply disruptions linked to broader regional tensions affecting shipping routes through the Red Sea corridor. Ethiopia imports virtually all of its petroleum products, making it vulnerable to global supply shocks. The government has implemented various fuel-saving initiatives in recent months, but the current shortage appears more severe than previous episodes, forcing authorities to take more drastic administrative measures to manage demand.
