Ethiopia’s Fuel Hauliers Push Back Against Asset Seizures in Smuggling Crackdown

July 23, 2026
By Mintesinot Nigussie

Ethiopia’s fuel transport operators are challenging the government’s approach to tackling fuel diversion, arguing that the confiscation of tankers and cargoes over alleged offences by drivers is threatening the survival of legitimate transport businesses. The Ethiopian Fuel Transport Owners Association has called for a review of cases in which members’ assets have been seized under anti-smuggling enforcement measures, according to a report by The Reporter.

The association said authorities should distinguish between the actions of individual drivers and the liability of vehicle owners before confiscating private property. The dispute highlights a recurring tension in Ethiopia’s fight against fuel leakages: the government’s efforts to protect a heavily regulated and subsidised fuel supply chain while transport operators argue that enforcement measures are placing excessive burdens on businesses that rely on hired drivers.

During a meeting with members in Addis Ababa, the association said drivers involved in illegal fuel diversion should face prosecution, but argued that owners should not lose vehicles worth millions of birr unless they are proven to have participated in the offence. The Reporter cited cases raised by transporters in which tankers were confiscated after drivers were accused of siphoning fuel during deliveries.

In one case, a driver was arrested near Awash Arba in the Afar region after allegedly transferring fuel into a jerrycan. Although the driver was charged and later released after spending a week in custody, the tanker and fuel cargo remained seized. Transport operators said the fuel had been legally imported through Djibouti and should not be treated as contraband solely because of the actions of a driver.

They urged authorities to conduct case-by-case investigations and return assets where owners are not found to have been involved. The association said it was not opposed to efforts against fuel theft, describing illegal diversion as a loss to public resources. However, it argued that enforcement should focus on the individuals responsible and that the quantity of fuel allegedly diverted should serve as evidence in court rather than becoming a basis for confiscating entire vehicles and shipments.

Source: FSX Business News