Dakar, June 15 (APS) – Saturday’s delivery of the daily press mainly deals with subjects relating to Eid-el-adha or Tabaski, the great Muslim festival which will be celebrated on Monday June 17 in Senegal by the overwhelming majority of Muslim faithful.
“Two days (Sunday and Monday) to sacrifice in the ritual of Abraham,” writes Sud Quotidien, on the subject of Tabaski, the great Muslim festival during which it is recommended to sacrifice a sheep, a ritual which is intended to be an act of faith and submission to God.
“Between sheep at expensive prices for their +gorgorlu+ purses and transport difficulties accentuated by the undue increase in tickets, the Senegalese are preparing to celebrate the Tabaski 2024 festival again in the division,” writes the same newspaper, after having titled “One tabaski, two parties”.
The newspaper Le Quotidien reports an “increase in costs” on the sheep supply markets in particular, but despite everything, the populations are determined to give themselves the means to celebrate Tabaski as it should be “at all costs” .
”It’s the same refrain every year: a sheep is expensive. But, every year, even if they rip holes in their pockets, the Senegalese manage to find horns for Tabaski,” reports Le Quotidien.
There is also “the eternal anarchy in transport”, the days preceding Tabaski, notes the daily Le Soleil, a newspaper which reports a “rise in prices on the eve of the festival”.
This situation caused the Minister of Infrastructure, Land and Air Transport to react. Malick Ndiaye called the transporters to order. He reminded them that “no increase in prices has been discussed” with players in the sector, according to the daily Libération.
The daily L’info even reports that the supervisory authority “raises its voice” in the face of this “unjustified increase” in transport prices. He warned that “any increase in fares would constitute a violation of the regulations on road transport fares […]”
For the rest, several newspapers report on the drop in the prices of the main consumer goods. The daily L’Observateur speaks on this subject of “eternal sprinkling”. “The cost of living has always been a headache for different political regimes,” notes the newspaper, according to which lower prices are “a solution to problems.”
Economists interviewed by the newspaper are campaigning for a “sustainable”, “structural” solution, which notably involves local consumption and food self-sufficiency.
The Civil Forum, the Senegalese branch of the NGO Transparency International, also spoke out on the measures announced Thursday by the government, several daily newspapers report.
Birahim Seck, head of the Civil Forum, certainly welcomes “the government’s efforts”, but it is to better invite the authorities to “work towards guaranteeing security and food sovereignty”, reports the daily L’As.
“Senegal is still a net importer country. Added to this are transport and insurance costs which significantly reduce the profit margins of economic operators,” explains Mr. Seck in comments reported by the daily L’info.
”Good but could do better. This is how some politicians appreciate the fall in food prices. The sustainable solution lies in the promotion of local agriculture, on the one hand, and the reduction of the State’s lifestyle, on the other hand,” we read in the columns of Walfquotidien.
According to Enquête, on this issue, the new regime, which came to power at the beginning of last April, “walks on a tightrope”. The newspaper, citing specialists, maintains that “the budgetary situation does not allow […] to have greater room for maneuver regarding this drop in the prices of basic necessities”.
