Tunisia’s gas crisis puts homes and businesses on ice

In Tunisia, queues outside gas distribution centres are growing longer as the cash-strapped state grapples to secure solutions amid growing frustration.

For weeks now, in Sousse, in the central-east part of the country, families have waited for hours—sometimes days—hoping to secure a gas cylinder to heat their homes or cook a warm meal.  

“No chance. I’ve been trying to secure one [gas cylinder] for days now. The line last for hours and I can’t afford to be there all day […] I have to go to work,” Alsouhbi, a resident in Sousse, told The New Arab.

Even small business owners are feeling the strain, and are struggling to secure gas to keep their shops running. With no clear end in sight, many owners fear they may have to close their businesses temporarily

“I had to travel for hours to secure one cylinder. If this continues, I might have to close my coffee shop,” Noufal, a manager of a small café in Sousse, remarked to TNA.

Desperation in the streets

The Tunisian government insists relief to this crisis is near, pointing to incoming shipments of liquefied gas, but Tunisians’ patience is wearing thin.  

Desperation has spilled out into the streets. Viral videos show citizens blocking delivery trucks, pleading for cylinders to be unloaded on the spot. In some cases, security forces have had to intervene, escorting supply vehicles to prevent them from being intercepted.  

Nowhere is the crisis more acute than in Tunisia’s north-west, where snow blankets the hills and temperatures dip to freezing.  

Here, the need for gas—essential for both cooking and heating—has skyrocketed. Yet supply remains meagre, as bottlenecks at filling centres force delivery trucks to wait up to 72 hours before being loaded.  

“Chaos erupted because people don’t understand the shortage and slow distribution. They need gas to stay warm […] We can’t blame the citizens,” said activist Huda Soummari, an activist in Ain Draham, one of the coldest regions in Tunisia.

Tunisia depends on liquefied gas to keep its homes warm and kitchens running.  

Only about a third of Tunisian populated areas are connected to natural gas lines, most of them major cities.  

This leaves rural and underserved areas reliant on gas cylinders, making them extremely vulnerable to disruptions.  

On an average winter day, the country needs more than 200,000 gas cylinders, but disruptions in the supply chain have created a severe shortfall.  

The closure of even one of the country’s three main filling centres leaves the market 25,000 cylinders short daily, amplifying the crisis.  

As tensions rise, officials are scrambling to address the shortage. Khaled Bettine, the head of the state-run oil distributor Agil, points to limited storage capacity as a root cause.  

“We’re working to expand storage facilities and bring in new filling lines,” he told local media. He said six ships carrying liquefied gas are expected to dock in the coming days.  

Still, the delays have taken their toll. Many rural families, particularly in the hardest-hit regions, have resorted to burning firewood to stay warm, which is even more difficult to source.  

“This happens every year. It’s the same story—insufficient reserves, and citizens are the ones who suffer,” argues a spokesperson from Tunisia’s Consumer Guidance Organisation.  

Shortages in Saied’s Tunisia

Over 17 percent of the Tunisian population lives in poverty, amid persistent inequalities between coastal and interior regions.  

In recent years, the country has also seen shortages of basic goods like milk, sugar, and flour, most of which are state-subsidised.  

The Ministry of Energy estimates that 20 percent of subsidised gas is misallocated, costing the state over 100 million dinars annually (about $31 million). With inflation and economic hardship already squeezing households, this inefficiency only deepens the frustration.  

Even voicing criticism of the state’s inefficiency at handling the crisis can come at a cost under Saied’s tightening grip on freedom of speech.  

The populist leader—who claims that he acts on behalf of the poor—has several times blamed the shortages in Tunisia on “enemies of the nation” without addressing his government’s financial strategies that might drive the country to the abyss.  

In 2023, Saied’s stance against international financial institutions led to a break with the IMF, which cost Tunisia nearly all of its traditional sources of financing. He opted to monetise the fiscal deficit, resulting in a record inflation rate of 9.3 percent. 

“Economic policymaking under Saied has been characterised by improvisation and short-termism. Constrained by limited financial resources and fearful of social unrest”, says Hamza Meddeb, an expert with the US-based Carnegie Middle East Center.  

Since his power grab in 2021, Saied has maintained a large support base in Tunisia, composed mainly of senior citizens and those who believe in his “clean hands” and conspiracy rhetoric.  

However, now that shortages have become a grim routine in the country, many are questioning Saied’s economic strategies—or lack thereof—to save the country.  

After all, the Tunisian revolution‘s first demand was bread and dignified living. Now, youth unemployment stands at a staggering 39 percent, inflation eats away at wages, and the government spends wildly, offering little hope for a way out of the crisis.