Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abidjan (Agenzia Fides) - The rise in the cost of food supplies and other basic materials have provoked intense protest demonstrations in Senegal and Ivory Coast. In both the western African nations, violent confrontations with police have left several demonstrators wounded and hundreds have been arrested.
On March 31, in Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast, hundreds of people (mostly women) were quelled by police forces who implemented tear-gas. The demonstrators had placed barricades on the streets of Yopougon, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Abidjan, as a sign of protest against the high rise in prices: a kilogram of meat went from 700 Francs CFA (1.68 US dollars) to 900 Francs CFA (2.16 dollars) in only 3 days. In the same period of time, a liter of milk went from costing 600 CFA (1.44 dollars) to 850 CFA (2.04 dollars).
On March 30 in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, the police brutally quelled (according to local civil rights associations) a protest march against the rise in prices, using batons that emit electric discharges. They also confiscated all video-tapes of the fighting.
The rise in the price of fuel and food supply is having serious consequences throughout all of Africa. In recent months, violent protests have taken place in Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, and Mauritania. The ride in the cost of farm products is also closely related to the rise in fuel costs. The price of fuel also affects the production and delivery of food products. In addition, the widespread use of what is known as bicarbonates (vegetable-based) has also contributed to the rise in the cost of food supplies in general, as there is an increase in farm lands that must be used for its production and a decrease in those dedicated to the cultivation of food crops.
The inflation-related tensions run the risk of aggravating the situation of a country like Ivory Coast that is already experiencing difficulties in trying to emerge from a complex political crisis, adding to its lack of stability. At the end of March, for example, grave incidents have been reported in western part of Ivory Coast, of confrontations between military forces and members of a militia that, according to a peace settlement, is waiting for them to pull out of the area. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 1/4/2008; righe 29, parole 379)
