Soyo - The Minister of State and Head of Military Affairs of the President of the Republic, Francisco Pereira Furtado, announced Thursday in the city of Soyo, in the northern province of Zaire, that gas stations selling excess fuel in some of the country's border areas will be closed in the near future.
The measure, according to the Minister of State, is aimed at combating the smuggling of oil by-products into neighboring countries, which is becoming increasingly alarming.
The Minister recommended that Sonangol review its fuel supply plans at the national level, taking into account the real needs of each region of the country, as well as redefine the policies for granting licenses to sell this product, in order to reverse the current picture in which many of the beneficiaries of these documents are foreigners, contrary to the law in force.
The minister also urged the defense and security authorities to improve their level of control over the fuel allocated to them, a control that should extend to the transportation of oil byproducts from the main source to the interior regions of the country.
The official revealed that more than nine million liters of fuel have been smuggled into the country from January to date, for which the subsidization of export prices is the main cause of the spread of this phenomenon, which has caused enormous damage to the national economy.
Restoring legality in border areas
The Minister recommended the restoration of legality with regard to fuel smuggling and other transnational crimes in the country's border areas, emphasizing the urgent need to restore the State's authority with regard to illegal immigration and fishing, situations that jeopardize national security.
Francisco Pereira Furtado said that in just three months (September and December of this year), the competent authorities seized 3,143,409 liters of different types of fuel intended for smuggling.
The minister said that a large part of this product was seized in the municipality of Luau, in the province of Moxico, where, along with the provinces of Zaire and Cabinda, the existing gas stations outside the municipal provincial headquarters exceed real needs.
Francisco Furtado also said that it is serious that the country allocates a large amount of foreign currency to the purchase of oil by-products for domestic consumption, but that a significant portion is diverted to border areas to feed smuggling.
Francisco Furtado, who coordinates a multisectoral commission set up by the President of the Republic, worked for a few hours in the municipality of Soyo.PMV/JL/DAN/AMP
