20120103
AFP
Thousands of Dakar residents found themselves stranded on Monday as bus and taxi drivers took part in a two-day strike over high fuel prices, leaving some to turn to horse-drawn carts to get around.

"The call to strike is being followed by 98 percent (of workers) around the country," said Aliou Soum of the National Union of Road Transport Workers which called the strike.

"The transport of retail merchandise, practically everything has stopped."

The normally traffic-clogged roads in Dakar and its suburbs flowed freely with traffic and national television shown images of residents piled onto horse-drawn carts to get to work.

Soum said drivers were protesting "the high price of fuel, the cost of insurance, police harassment and a lack of social protection" from their employers, among others.

Diesel is currently 825 FCFA (1.26 euro, $1.62) a litre, and petrol at 885 FCFA (1.35 euro).

The strike was launched on the eve of an inter-ministerial meeting on transport.

"If tomorrow's (Tuesday) meeting satisfies our demands, we will lift the strike, otherwise we will return to protesting, but for an unlimited strike," said Soum.