The is massive surge in the demand for petrol from Dangote refinery from different governments across Africa as the war in the Middle East disrupts global supply.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has been approached by South Africa and several other countries, according to Bloomberg.

South Africa is reportedly seeking a standard 12-month supply contract with Nigeria, reports said.

The conflict, which began on February 28, has disrupted global trade, particularly due to Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The resulting shocks are being felt worldwide, from cooking gas shortages in India to dwindling naphtha supplies in Japan, highlighting vulnerabilities across the global energy market.

African nations are among those most affected. East and Southern Africa are particularly exposed, with roughly 75% of refined-fuel imports coming from the Middle East.

In South Africa, the National Treasury recently warned it has limited capacity to shield consumers from rising prices. Crude oil costs have surged more than 40%, topping $100 per barrel, while disruptions in shipping and production ripple across the continent.

Ethiopia has urged citizens to reduce fuel consumption amid the supply crunch.

At Dangote’s 650,000 barrel-per-day refinery, about 75% of output is reserved for Nigeria, leaving the remainder available for export. Ghana and Kenya have also reportedly reached out. “Right now it is not about pricing, it’s about availability,” Dangote told The Economist. “I think the situation will continue for a while.”

While South Africa says its fuel supply is adequate for the coming weeks, Kenya requires oil marketers to maintain at least three weeks of stock. For context, the International Energy Agency (IEA) requires member countries to hold a minimum of 90 days of net oil imports, but no African nation is currently part of the global watchdog.

Israeli Defence Force, IDF said it killed 20 Hezbollah fighters during a ground assault in southern Lebanon.

The IDF also issued an urgent evacuation order to residents of Lebanon living south of the Zahrani River on Thursday, amid Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah terrorists operating in the area..

Additionally on Thursday, the IDF said it destroyed dozens of the terror group’s sites during military operations in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours.

In one incident on Wednesday, troops from the IDF’s Golani Brigade noticed a group of terrorists attempting to launch anti-tank missiles toward them.

The soldiers returned fire, killing five, while another three were killed in an airstrike by the Israel Air Force (IAF).

Additionally, the IDF located and confiscated several weapons, including RPGs, anti-tank rockets, ammunition, a hunting rifle, and other military equipment.

A faction of opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), has petitioned the United States Embassy in Abuja over what it describes as an attempt to unlawfully seize control of the party.

The group, led by Nafiu Bala Gombe, is urging U.S. authorities to consider sanctions—including visa restrictions—against individuals allegedly involved in bypassing the party’s constitutional processes.

In the petition, Gombe identifies himself as the legitimate national chairman of the ADC and accuses unnamed actors of violating party rules following the resignation of former chairman Ralph Okey Nwosu and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC).

According to Gombe, the ADC constitution provides that the deputy national chairman should assume leadership in the event of a vacancy. He argues that, as the only remaining deputy national chairman who did not resign, he is constitutionally mandated to take over the party’s affairs.

He further alleged that external political interests are interfering in the party’s internal structure, attempting to install leadership outside established procedures. The faction claims it has taken legal steps to challenge the situation but accuses its opponents of spreading misinformation.

The petition also addresses claims linking the dispute to Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), dismissing any such connections as false.

Gombe called on the United States to monitor what he described as “anti-democratic practices” within the party and to take action if constitutional order is undermined. He argued that potential sanctions would signal international disapproval of efforts to erode internal democracy and due process.