Mogadishu Bajaj drivers block key corridor as fuel prices more than double
MOGADISHU — Auto rickshaw drivers blocked sections of a major artery in Somalia’s capital on Wednesday, parking their Bajaj three-wheelers between the Taleh and KM4 junctions to protest a sharp jump in fuel prices they say is crushing their earnings and pushing up transport fares.
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The roadside demonstration, which drew dozens of operators, disrupted traffic along one of Mogadishu’s busiest corridors as drivers demanded swift government action to stabilize prices. Organizers said they would continue to press for relief as daily costs outpace incomes.
Drivers and fuel traders said gasoline in the city has leapt from about $0.65 per liter to roughly $1.50 in less than two weeks. The spike has rippled through the capital’s transport sector, where Bajajs and taxis form the backbone of daily mobility for workers, students and market vendors.
“We have been waiting for the government to address the fuel price hike for a long time, but we have not received a clear response,” one protesting driver told reporters at the scene.
Some fuel traders attributed the surge to escalating tensions in the Middle East, citing reports of disruptions to key shipping routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global oil supplies. Such turbulence can quickly filter into Somalia’s domestic market, which relies entirely on imported fuel and is highly exposed to supply shocks and currency swings.
But several drivers dismissed those explanations as insufficient, accusing suppliers of taking advantage of uncertainty to raise prices beyond what global dynamics alone would warrant. “There is no transparency,” another driver said. “We believe some traders are using the situation as an excuse to raise prices and make more profit.”
The sudden increase is already reshaping household budgets in a city where many residents depend on affordable, informal transport to reach work and basic services. Operators said they face an impossible squeeze: pass along higher costs to passengers and risk losing riders, or absorb the hit and fall short on daily expenses such as food, rent and vehicle maintenance.
Economists warn that sustained fuel volatility could reverberate beyond transport, lifting the prices of goods and services across Mogadishu and straining low-income households most. Higher logistics costs typically translate into more expensive food staples and consumer goods, eroding purchasing power in an economy still recovering from conflict, drought and global inflation pressures.
As of Wednesday evening, neither federal nor regional officials had publicly addressed the protesters or outlined immediate steps to stabilize fuel costs. Policy options often discussed in similar crises elsewhere — from temporary tax relief or targeted subsidies to tighter oversight of retail pricing — would require fiscal room and coordinated enforcement, which analysts say can be difficult to marshal quickly.
The stand-off underscores a chronic vulnerability: with no domestic refining and limited strategic reserves, Somalia’s urban centers are acutely sensitive to global price shocks and maritime disruptions. For Mogadishu’s Bajaj drivers, the effects are personal and immediate — the cost of a liter, multiplied over dozens of daily trips, can determine whether families eat, children attend school and debts are paid on time.
By late afternoon, traffic began to ease as some vehicles were moved, but drivers vowed to sustain pressure for a government response. Until then, they said, the city’s lifeline of low-cost, flexible transport will remain under severe strain.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
