Senegal increases fuel prices, former Minister Birame Souleye Diop's predictions confirmed

This adjustment was announced by the government on August 14. The former Minister of Energy, Petroleum, and Mines, Birame Souleye Diop, had predicted this scenario over three months prior. During an interview on May 3, 2026, he explained that the Middle East crisis, which began in late February 2026, had driven up Brent crude prices, increasing the global cost of petroleum products.

He noted that while Senegal had initially absorbed these increases, unlike other countries in the sub-region, this was unsustainable. Diop warned that if the conflict continued, the state's fuel subsidies would reach 878 billion FCFA, an untenable amount, necessitating price increases. Between May and August, the state reallocated approximately 687 billion FCFA to energy subsidies due to crude oil consistently exceeding $85 per barrel.

The government stated that the August 15 adjustment merely returned prices to their level before a December 6, 2025, reduction, and even with the increase, the per-liter price remains below the actual import cost.