{"id":2000109562,"date":"2026-04-23T11:21:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T09:21:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/?p=2000109562"},"modified":"2026-04-23T11:21:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T09:21:08","slug":"rwanda-warns-fuel-prices-will-continue-to-rise-amid-middle-east-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwanda-warns-fuel-prices-will-continue-to-rise-amid-middle-east-tensions\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda warns fuel prices will continue to rise amid Middle East tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Minister of State for Infrastructure, Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye, said Rwandans should begin adjusting to what he described as \u201cextraordinary situations,\u201d noting that the impact of the crisis will continue to be felt in the country\u2019s energy sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on April 23, 2026, during a morning programme on TV1 Rwanda, Uwihanganye explained that the conflict has disrupted global oil supply chains, pushing up prices. He pointed to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route through which about 20% of global trade passes, as a major factor behind the surge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called on citizens to reduce fuel consumption and adjust their behaviour accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of the measures we put in place, we cannot do this alone. We need Rwandans themselves to change their behaviour and adapt to these extraordinary times,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are not seeing a reduction in consumption levels. We need people to help ensure that the fuel we import is used responsibly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuel prices in Rwanda have already risen sharply, with petrol currently selling at 2,938 Rwandan francs per litre, while diesel stands at Rwf 2,205 per litre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uwihanganye encouraged the public to limit non-essential travel, make use of public transport and consider carpooling where possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople should only make necessary trips. Public buses are available in Kigali and across the provinces, or individuals can share vehicles. But we want to see this reflected in the data. Since prices increased, we have not observed any decline in consumption, meaning behaviour has not yet changed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stressed that efforts to reduce fuel usage should not undermine economic activity but rather promote more efficient use of available resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister warned that even if the conflict in the Middle East were to end immediately, its effects on global and local fuel markets would persist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese conditions will continue. Even if the war stopped today, it would take time for us to return to previous levels. What we import takes about two months to arrive, and the international market also needs time to stabilize,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was unequivocal about the outlook: \u201cPrices will continue to rise\u2014that is the reality, and it is important that people understand it. Diesel prices have increased significantly on the international market. If we were to fully reflect global prices locally, diesel could be between 3,000 and 3,500 francs per litre. No matter the effort, we cannot prevent prices from exceeding current levels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the pressure on prices, Uwihanganye reassured the public that Rwanda is taking steps to avoid fuel shortages. He said the country has sufficient strategic reserves, which have not yet been tapped, with supply currently being drawn from stocks held by private operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Fuel prices in Rwanda have already risen sharply, with petrol currently selling at 2,938 Rwandan francs per litre, while diesel stands at Rwf 2,205 per litre.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rwanda has warned that fuel prices are likely to keep increasing, as the government urges citizens to adopt more cautious consumption habits in response to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000109563,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000109562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-62","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000109563,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lisansii-2-ce0fe-a83ac-bdbcd.jpg","alt":"","caption":"Fuel prices in Rwanda have already risen sharply, with petrol currently selling at 2,938 Rwandan francs per litre, while diesel stands at Rwf 2,205 per litre.","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":632,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lisansii-2-ce0fe-a83ac-bdbcd.jpg","width":150,"height":95},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lisansii-2-ce0fe-a83ac-bdbcd.jpg","width":300,"height":190},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lisansii-2-ce0fe-a83ac-bdbcd.jpg","width":768,"height":485},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lisansii-2-ce0fe-a83ac-bdbcd.jpg","width":1000,"height":632},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/lisansii-2-ce0fe-a83ac-bdbcd.jpg","width":1000,"height":632}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000109562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000109562"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000109562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000109564,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000109562\/revisions\/2000109564"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000109563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000109562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000109562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000109562"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000109562"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000109562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}