Zambia's opposition Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) has called for the resignation of Energy and Water Development Minister Geroge Mpombo as acute fuel shortage hit the southern African country for second time in two months.

FDD spokesperson Charles Banda told the official Zambia News Agency that Mpombo should relinquish his ministerial position for failing to tell the nation the truth about the fuel crisis in the country.

He said Mpombo is fond of saying all was "well" when things are not well in the country.

Mpombo has continued to give people false hope by repeatedly saying fuel would flow into the country, but the situation has not improved, he said.

The latest fuel shortage started two weeks ago and is getting worse and worse by the weekend. Filling stations across the country are either run out of fuel or sieged by long queues of vehicles.

The fuel shortage has reportedly paralyzed businesses in some parts of the country. Illegal dealers are said to be selling petrol at over two US dollars per liter, twice the normal price.

Government has blamed the shutdown of the country's only refinery in Ndola, Copperbelt Province for the fuel crisis.

Zambia suffered a major fuel shortage in July and August when Indeni was shut down in mid-July for maintenance work.

The refinery resume production in August, only to be shutdown again in late September.

Economists have said that the constant fuel shortages will cost the economy dearly.

Energy Minister Mpombo said the technical problem at Indeni has been solved and that it is waiting for the arrival of Naphtha from Kenya to start up the refinery. Naphtha is a chemical crucial for the start up of refinery.

"We anticipate that by the end of next week, we will have received the chemical because we are hauling it by road from Kenya," he said.

Source: Xinhua