In June 2024, a fuel shortage produced long lines outside filling stations in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic. Radio Ndeke Luka reported motorcycles and cars queueing at several locations while fuel was dispensed little by little, leaving some customers waiting for half a day.
The line included more than private motorists. Motorcycle-taxi drivers and others who depended on vehicles for work also waited. Without fuel, both movement and income could stop. News that a station was serving drew vehicles from different parts of the city into a single ordered line.
Each vehicle that advanced released another plan somewhere in Bangui. The queue showed scarcity, but also the order in which people tried to set the city moving again.