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A collision between a bus and a truck killed 19 people in Senegal on Monday.
President McKee Sall tweeted: “At the entrance of Gun Sar, another fatal accident on the road. 19 lives lost.”
Twenty-five people were also injured in a crash near Luga, in the north, fire department official Colonel Papa Ange Michel Diatta told AFP.
On January 8, two buses collided in the center of the country, killing more than 40 people. This highlights a well-known problem with roads in Senegal, as in many African countries. Corruption among officials responsible for enforcing laws and issuing driver’s licenses.
Witnesses interviewed by private radio station RFM reported that the bus swerved to avoid the donkey on Monday morning, but the explanation was not confirmed. In Senegal, many cows roam on or near roads.
The January 8 tragedy, blamed on a burst tire, has sparked a wave of criticism against authorities for failing to enforce traffic rules and vehicle condition regulations.
In response to one of Senegal’s worst accidents in recent years, the government has announced some 20 measures. Many of these measures have been criticized as unenforceable by key stakeholders, transport experts.
The head of state reaffirmed their need on Twitter. Accidents in the north “underscore the need to strengthen road safety measures,” he said.
Many experts believe that the ban on night driving of buses and minibuses, the ban on the import of used tires, etc., do not fit the economic realities and lifestyles.
– “Big Jam” –
Buses, which carry not only passengers but also goods, are an essential means of transportation between regions due to the lack of alternatives. Buses are commonly retrofitted for increased capacity and fitted with roof racks.
Not only do passengers love to carry bulky luggage, racks are an additional source of income for carriers.
Some transport unions have announced an indefinite strike starting Tuesday as a protest.
“Regulation of the sector: a nation in heavy traffic” was the headline of Monday’s newspaper Le Quotidien.
Authorities quickly lifted the ban on equipping buses with luggage racks and granted a one-year exemption.
Another reason for conflict between governments and carriers is prices, in a situation of inflation. Minibus operators have just announced fare hikes in the Dakar region, with the government claiming to have recently cut fuel subsidies and increased the price of diesel and superfuel by 100 CFA francs (15 euro cents). increase.
The government has refused to accept the increase, saying it is illegal as it is not approved by the authorities.
With a population of over 17 million, Senegal officially kills 700 people each year in road accidents.
In 2019, 24 per 100,000 people died in road accidents in Senegal and 27 per 100,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa, compared with 6 per 100,000 people in the European Union, according to the World Bank. , in Switzerland there were two.
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