By Our Reporter
DAKAR (CONVERSEER) – Ousmane Sonko chaired a special government meeting on Tuesday to assess developments in Senegal’s petroleum products sector amid escalating conflict in the Middle East, prioritising fuel supply security and the protection of vulnerable households.
The meeting followed a recent national address in which the Prime Minister, who also leads Pastef Les Patriotes, warned of looming global and African economic disruptions linked to intensifying hostilities involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
He highlighted the risks posed to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil transit route, cautioning that disruptions could trigger soaring energy prices, strained supply chains and a spike in living costs for import-dependent countries such as Senegal.
In response, the government established an interministerial committee to closely monitor the situation and oversee measures aimed at stabilising the domestic market.
The crisis escalated after joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28 reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, along with senior officials, prompting retaliatory missile and drone attacks by Tehran on Israeli territory and US bases in the Gulf, as well as intensified operations by Hezbollah from Lebanon.
The confrontation has disrupted global oil traffic following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, compounding economic uncertainty.
Against this backdrop, Senegal’s latest trade data show petroleum product imports remain substantial despite a 24.6 percent year-on-year drop in total imports in December 2025.
Other petroleum products led at 105.5 billion FCFA, followed by petroleum products at 90.4 billion FCFA, while crude oil imports were absent for the month. For 2025 overall, petroleum products rose by 23.3 percent, even as the broader “Energy and Lubricants” category declined by 10.7 percent to 1,953.1 billion FCFA.
Russia remained Senegal’s top supplier in the category, ahead of Spain and France, with France posting the sharpest annual growth.
