Engines idle and tempers fray outside petrol stations across Kinshasa, where lines of cars, motorcycles and small trucks now snake for hundreds of metres. What was once a quick stop to refuel has turned into a test of endurance, with many drivers waiting more than two hours for a few litres of petrol.

The fear is not only of running out of fuel, but of what comes next. Rumours of looming price hikes ripple through the queues as people scroll their phones for news of the conflict thousands of kilometres away that is suddenly dictating daily life in the Congolese capital.

“There’s no way to transport because there is no fuel, how are we going to do it?” asked one motorcycle taxi driver, helmet in hand, as he inched forward in line. Like many here, his entire income depends on staying on the road. Each extra hour at the pump is an hour without passengers, and without pay.

Kinshasa’s fuel crunch is among the clearest signs in Central Africa of how the war in the Middle East has rippled through global energy routes. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow corridor off Iran’s coast through which about a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes, has been effectively choked by hostilities and threats to shipping.

Iran has signalled that “non-hostile” vessels may still transit if they comply with security rules and coordinate with its authorities, according to the International Maritime Organization. But many shipowners and insurers remain wary of missile or drone attacks, sharply reducing traffic and slowing deliveries worldwide.

The disruption has jolted energy and financial markets. Oil prices surged roughly 40 percent after the fighting began, before retreating on hopes of de-escalation and diplomatic efforts to keep at least part of the shipping lane open. Benchmark Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude both fell back from recent highs as traders bet that some flows would resume.

Still, the uncertainty is enough to strain fragile supply chains in import-dependent countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo. Authorities and fuel distributors in Kinshasa are scrambling to manage dwindling stocks, while residents brace for steeper transport fares and rising prices of basic goods that depend on road delivery.

Global agencies are watching closely. The International Energy Agency has indicated it is prepared to coordinate additional releases from strategic oil reserves “if and when necessary” to stabilise markets. For drivers in Kinshasa, that promise feels distant. What they see is the length of the queue, the heat of the day and the needle on the fuel gauge sinking toward empty.