Many African economies are running on weeks of refined fuel as the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø chokes off shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, forcing governments to scramble for alternatives.

About 600,000 barrels a day of oil products that typically flow to the continent from the Middle East are at risk, with tanker traffic through the critical waterway slowing to a trickle, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).?

For some countries, those cargoes effectively meet all demand.