Diesel desert: Lilongwe drivers queue for HOURS as fuel runs dry — but petrol keeps flowing

Fed-up motorists have been left fuming this week as diesel all but vanished from Lilongwe’s filling stations — with cars and trucks queuing for HOURS while petrol keeps flowing just yards away.

Chaotic scenes have played out across Malawi’s capital as drivers desperately hunt for diesel, only to find pump after pump bone dry — even as petrol continues pouring out at the very same stations.

In a bizarre twist, this latest fuel headache has struck diesel and diesel ALONE, sparing petrol drivers the queues that have plagued the country before.

Bosses at the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) have previously blamed chaos at ports in Tanzania and Mozambique — plus knock-on chaos from conflict in the Middle East — for choking off vital fuel supplies to landlocked Malawi.

And the stakes couldn’t be higher. Diesel is the lifeblood of Malawi’s economy, powering everything from buses and lorries to farm machinery and generators — meaning empty tanks now threaten to send shockwaves through the whole country.

Truckers and haulage firms are already feeling the pinch, with fears mounting that empty diesel tanks could soon mean empty shelves and rocketing prices for ordinary Malawians.

MERA has hiked and slashed fuel prices repeatedly this year as global oil markets go haywire — and bosses are begging panicked Malawians to ignore rumours and wait for official updates.

But there’s still no end in sight, with queues showing zero signs of shrinking and no timeline given for when diesel will finally flow again.