A weeks-long shortage of diesel fuel eased in Ismailia on Thursday after the Petroleum Ministry increased diesel supplies to the city. Automobiles were no longer seen lining up outside gas stations, while officials from the government-run supply directorate were dispatched to ensure that fuel was not being hoarded or illicitly sold on the black market. A similar scenario played out in Sharqiya, where the ministry also reportedly supplied the governorate with an additional 600,000 liters of diesel fuel. The crisis persisted in Gharbiya, however, where long lines of cars could still be seen outside gas stations and fights between drivers over limited quantities of diesel were reported. A number of local factories that depend on diesel fuel for production were also forced to temporarily halt production as a result of the shortage. The governorates of Kafr el-Sheikh and Beni Sueif, meanwhile, continue to suffer from diesel fuel shortfalls, according to reports. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
