Senegal limits foreign trips for officials as fallout from Middle East war deepens

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Senegalese government has banned all but essential foreign trips for government ministers as part of cost-saving measures triggered by the energy crisis linked to the Middle East war.

Senegal, like many African countries, imports most of the petroleum products it consumes, leaving its economy vulnerable to supply disruptions such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has sent the price of crude soaring.

Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said Friday that his office was taking steps to limit public expenditure, pointing out that the country’s initial budget forecasts were based on an oil price of $62 per barrel, which is now almost double as a result of the Iran war.

“I have taken a number of drastic measures to restrict everything related to government spending, including the cancellation of all non-essential missions abroad,” the government-owned Le Soleil newspaper quoted Sonko as saying.

He added that he cancelled several trips, including to Niger, Spain and France.

“No minister in my government will leave the country except for an essential mission,” Sonko said.

For millions in Africa, soaring fuel prices have worsened the hardships they already face in some of the world’s poorest households.

That means not being able to commute to work or afford a meal for many in the region.

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