Hamadou Tidiane
21 May 2008
Kampala — Thousands of workers in Burkina Faso last week went on a general strike and promised to take "more action" if their demands for cheaper prices are not met by the government.
The action reflects the inefficiency of the measures taken earlier by the authorities who had decided to cut taxes on the prices of some basic commodities for a period of six months following previous demonstrations, some of which were violently repressed by the security forces back in February.
To ease the situation and make food accessible and affordable, the government had also at the time announced the creation of "reference shops" where prices of basic commodities such as rice, cooking oil, sugar, soap, etc., will be sold at fixed prices under the control of government. But this measure did not have the expected impact on the daily life of the majority of citizens.
This failure of the government is the main reason put forward by the trade-unions to call on their members to observe a three day demonstration.
"We are adults. We are not interested in violence. All we want is the government to hear our complaints," a female demonstrator who attended the "concert" told reporters in Ouagadougou.
The strike was the second in few weeks, called by several trade unions to protest government's inability to tackle the food crisis, affecting the whole of West Africa and far beyond.
Burkina Faso, a landlocked country is among the most severely hit countries in the region, because imported goods go through Ivorian or Ghanaian ports before they the country's markets.
The pro-government daily "Sidwaya" last week accused importers and traders of stocking cereals in their backyards, particularly rice so as to cause a price stampede.
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