Dear editor,

A mini survey I carried out on Butare fuel stations reveals that most petroleum products illegally come from Burundi.

The buyers carry the fuel heavily subsidized by Rwandan taxpayers in jerrycans; yet carrying diesel and petrol in containers is prohibited.

Fine, the police might be very tight on ‘Kigalians’ because of the high population and the heavy investment in the city.

However, they, should also take strong action to curb fuel smuggling as new fuel consumption records in Butare indicate that the practice continues unabated.

The illegal trade of fuel might be the main reason why the country’s consumption level in the first quarter of the year is beyond the estimated target and therefore, threatening the state budget.

Butare