Ondjiva — The National Police reported on Tuesday in the southern province of Cunene that during the year 2023 at least 38,325 litres of fuel were seized, after smugglers tried to illegally sell them in the Republic of Namibia.

Data from the year-end report of the delegation of the Ministry of Interior that ANGOP had access to, show that of the fuel seized, 30,002 litres were of petrol and 8,000 litres of diesel.

Much of the fuel that ends up being smuggled is bought at pumps in the provinces of Cunene and Huíla, to be sold in Namibian territory, by nationals and foreigners who pack it in 25, 30 and 200 litre drums and others in the tanks in vehicles adapted for this purpose.

According to the National Police (PN) in Cunene, the phenomenon occurs due to the low price in Angola compared to neighbouring Namibia, where they use unauthorised routes, taking into account the extension of the common border.

However, to fight such practices, the delegate of the Ministry of Interior and commander of the PN in Cunene, commissioner António Ribeiro, assured that the mechanisms to combat fuel smuggling along the border will be strengthened.

He admitted that the process is increasing in the province, a fact that requires the operational forces to redouble their actions aimed at combating this evil, which has been jeopardising the efforts of good governance in the country.

António Ribeiro said it was essential to step up the strategy to fight the sale of fuel, emphasising the need for the population to cooperate in denouncing these practices.

He explained that, in recent times, car drivers have opted to change the tanks of their vehicles in order to transport the largest volume of the product, which has forced the government to take measures against cars with Namibian licence plates filling up at the selected posts,

The Cunene province shares 460 kilometres of border with Namibia, of which 340 km are land and 120 km of fluvial border.

FI/LHE/AC/MRA/jmc