Launching Into the Unknown

The greatest shortage during that time was fuel. Our household had two vehicles: a Land Rover that ran on diesel, for Gaynor’s medical work, and a compact car that ran on gasoline. Gaynor’s Sudanese driver looked after the Land Rover, so we didn’t have to worry about it. The car was another matter. They rationed fuel to three gallons every other day. People lined up by 6:00 p.m. to be among the first when the stations opened at 6:00 a.m. We had a station around the corner from our house. As the queue lengthened, cars blocked our driveway practically every evening. Someone had to sleep in the car all night to prevent it from being stolen. If you employed a driver or a guard, you assigned that job to him. If you didn’t, you got to sleep in the car yourself.

After sleeping in a car all night, few people felt like working. As this situation continued for weeks, and weeks turned into months, less and less work was getting done in offices. The government finally took action, announcing that petrol stations could not open until noon daily and no one was allowed to queue before 11:00 a.m. Any car in a queue had the license plate removed, and the owner had to pay a fine to get it back.

Our friend John owned a large car and his wife, Deborah, drove their children from Omdurman into Khartoum to school every day. They needed fuel regularly, so they hoped this new regulation would be an improvement. At 11:00 a.m., John drove over to queue up, but found he was 100th in line. By the time he reached the station, the pumps were dry. The following day, he watched to see what was happening before 11:00. Sure enough, around the corner, cars were parked at right angles, facing in the opposite direction from the station, any direction except in the station’s. At 11:00, they turned around and formed a quick queue! The next day, John did the same, and got fuel. This regulation didn’t last very long because even fewer people went to work.