NIGER BANS FUEL EXPORTS AMID DEEPENING SHORTAGE

Niger's Trade Minister Abdoulaye Seydou signed an order on October 12 banning exports of premium gasoline and diesel, reserving the country's refined output for local pumps. State firms SONIDEP and SORAZ may only export any surplus with special ministerial approval. The decree follows a widening supply gap: government data show a 196.62 million liter gasoline deficit versus a 52.60 million liter diesel deficit through the first eight months of 2026, the gasoline shortfall running nearly four times larger. It's another data point in the global refined-fuel squeeze that keeps crude benchmarks like $USO in focus.