Gas shortage looms in Ivory Coast, crisis deepens

March 01, 2011 11:00 pm | Updated 11:00 pm IST

Protestors in the Treichville district of Abidjan.

Protestors in the Treichville district of Abidjan.

Ivory Coast's government is banning residents from filling jerrycans with petrol as fears of a shortage grow amid the deepening political crisis.

Motorists in Abidjan, on March 1, rushed to fill up their tanks, then went home to siphon the petrol into jerrycans, in an effort to stockpile.

Sanctions

The announcement of the ban on February 28 night on State TV comes as the West African nation girds itself for shortages and an economic slowdown after sanctions were slapped on the country's incumbent leader, Laurent Gbagbo, who is refusing to step down.

The European Union has banned ships from docking at Abidjan's port and petrol stations are seeing their fuel supplies dwindle. Several petrol stations have already closed.

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