In May 2026, fuel shortages in Brazzaville pushed vehicle queues beyond filling-station forecourts and into main roads. An RFI reporter near the Mazala roundabout interviewed a taxi driver who had left home at 4 a.m., joined the line at 5 and was still waiting at noon before any sale had begun.
A taxi without fuel cannot earn. Time in the queue means time without passengers, but leaving may make the next day's work impossible as well. The length of the line measured not only scarce supply but also hours of lost labour.
Each car's turn at the pump connected to passengers' journeys and a household's income. Transport in the city restarted little by little from a line of stationary vehicles.