Dozens of small fishing boats are anchored in the calm waters off Mozambique's capital, stuck for days due to soaring fuel prices that prevent their owners from going out to sea.
Since the government raised prices at the beginning of May due to the impact of the Middle East conflict on supplies, many fishermen in the quiet Pescadores district of Maputo have not been able to afford a fishing trip.
“The impact is dramatic for us. These conflicts don’t just affect these countries; they affect the entire world. We are asking them to sit down and talk so that we can overcome this situation , ” said Carlos Nguenha, vice president of the local fishing council. Nguenha’s council represents 1,800 fishermen and nearly 290 boats on the Costa do Sol, north of the city. Members are young and old, and most are breadwinners with no other work. In early May, the Mozambican energy authority raised the price of gasoline by 12 percent, to 83.6 meticais ($1.30) per liter. Diesel prices rose by nearly 46 percent, reaching a record high of $1.80 per liter. While fuel costs are slightly higher in other countries in the region, the sharp increase, coupled with erratic supply, has hit Mozambique hard, which was ranked as the second poorest country in the world in a World Bank economic update published in March 2026.
Massive queues formed at gas stations, and some people reportedly abandoned using their own vehicles in favor of public transportation. The poverty rate, defined as people living on less than $3 a day, is 81%, and most jobs are informal and low-paying, according to the World Bank report.
Small quantities, exhausted and disheveled
Eduardo Alexandre and his crew have just landed their boat on Pescadores beach, without a catch, after more than 24 hours at sea. "We would still be out at sea, but we had to turn back because of a lack of fuel. It sometimes takes six to seven hours to reach the open sea, where the fishing is most productive. We needed another 10 liters. With the shortage prompting some people to buy smaller quantities of fuel in water and soft drink bottles, the government has also taken crackdowns on the use of unapproved containers to collect and transport the precious liquid. The recommended sturdy metal or hard plastic containers are intended to prevent leaks and fires, and to curb the informal fuel trade."
“My children go to school, and I support them with the fish that comes from here,” explains Martinha Djive, a 42-year-old fishmonger sitting on the sandy beach. “Without fuel, the crisis is affecting everyone: those of us who depend on this product, our children, and the entire population,” she adds. Many stalls in the nearby market were empty, but some fish had been scaled and gutted to be sold at higher prices than before the increase.
The country's fiscal space to respond to shocks is very limited, whether they be climate-related disasters, external economic shocks such as the conflict in the Middle East, or growing insecurity in the north. Economist and researcher Teresa Boene stated that rising costs risk plunging the most vulnerable Mozambicans into poverty.
