/ 14 September 1999

CAMEROON PRICE RISE SPARKS PROTEST

A SERIES of strikes are being planned in Cameroon by taxi drivers to protest a rise of almost 7% in the price of fuel. The price of a litre of petrol has gone up by 35 CFA francs, from 390 CFA francs to 425 CFA francs. At the same time, the price of diesel has risen by 8 CFA francs. Officials from the National Refinery Company (Sonara) have attributed the rise, which was announced on September 1, to the increases in the price of oil on the world market, which shot up from $12 to $20 a barrel. As soon as the increase was announced on state radio, drivers called for a strike to protest, what they describe as, ‘government’s attempts to strangle’ them.