Ethiopian authorities have detained 658 individuals, including government officials, and seized more than 720,000 liters of fuel in a nationwide crackdown on illegal fuel trading and hoarding as Middle East-linked supply disruptions deepen the country's fuel shortage.
Minister of Trade and Regional Integration Kasahun Gofe (PhD) warned that any fuel distribution outside the government's designated framework will be treated as illegal. The operation is being led by a newly established task force mandated to monitor fuel supply and distribution across the country.
The Joint Federal Security and Intelligence Task Force intercepted thousands of liters of what it described as "contraband fuel" along key transport corridors linking Addis Abeba with regional hubs. In the capital, police intercepted a driver using machinery to siphon approximately 46,000 liters of gasoline from underground tankers.
Regional operations have yielded significant seizures. In Gamo Zone, South Ethiopia Regional State, authorities recovered 2,350 liters of fuel from a private residence.
"Hoarding fuel in residential areas is both illegal and dangerous," said Commander Kebebew Adal, Head of Arba Minch City Police.
In Amhara region, 80 barrels of fuel were seized at the Abraha Jira checkpoint in West Gonder.
"There is a growing trend of profiteering from the fuel shortage," said Commander Misganaw Kasse, Head of West Gonder Police Department.
The detention of government officials among the 658 suspects distinguishes this operation from routine contraband seizures and suggests the illegal trade has penetrated institutional channels. Officials involved in the crackdown have characterized the hoarding and diversion of fuel supplies as "economic sabotage."
An earlier phase of enforcement this month seized over 448,000 liters of illicit fuel across six regional states and two city administrations — 250,221 liters of gasoline and 198,432 liters of diesel — generating more than 48.6 million birr deposited into the state treasury.
Separately, the Lideta Division of the Federal High Court is presiding over a high-profile corruption case involving 14 senior suspects. The court proceedings have not been publicly linked to the current task force operation.
Ethiopia imports virtually all of its refined fuel, making it acutely vulnerable to disruptions along its primary supply route through Djibouti. Ongoing instability in the Middle East — including Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping — has disrupted import agreements and driven global fuel prices upward, compounding existing container shortages at the Djibouti corridor. The enforcement campaign runs parallel to administrative rationing measures: on March 28, the government ordered non-essential public sector staff on leave to reduce diesel consumption. Together, the two tracks — demand-side rationing and supply-side enforcement — reflect the severity of a fuel crisis with both global and domestic dimensions.
