From Oréfondé to Dembancané, passing through Ourossogui, Vélingara Ferlo, and Bakel, transport services have come to a complete standstill due to a massive drivers' strike. Bus stations are deserted, plunging the region into a state of paralysis.

 

Mamadou Thioub, president of the Ouro Sogui bus station and representative of transporters in the Matam region, highlighted the motivations behind this mobilization. He denounced systematic "harassment" and a series of new measures deemed detrimental to the transport sector, and emphasized the numerous difficulties that are weakening their business.

 

Among the recent reforms imposed, he cites the reduction in the number of passengers allowed in vehicles. Minibuses with 19 seats had to be limited to 15 passengers, a measure that transport operators accepted. However, in less than a year, he states, other regulations have been added: minibuses operating intercity routes with a capacity between 12 and 19 seats must travel to Dakar within two months for technical inspections. In addition, there is another constraint affecting certain categories of vehicles where the capacity has been reduced to 11 passengers.

 

Mamadou Thioub also mentions the new threat facing older vehicles, whose registration documents risk being revoked. "In a country where living conditions are increasingly difficult, the State should support transporters who are fighting to maintain their business at the cost of enormous sacrifices," he asserts.

 

Faced with these measures deemed too restrictive, drivers were instructed to stay home, leading to a complete shutdown of public transportation in the region. This standstill has immediate repercussions for residents, who must now turn to costly alternatives such as "Jakarta" motorcycle taxis, horse-drawn carts, or unregulated vehicles known as "clandos."

Over a distance of 10 kilometers, fares range from 1,000 to 3,000 FCFA, depending on the mode of transport chosen. Travelers wishing to reach destinations such as Dakar, Bakel, or Saint-Louis, however, face serious difficulties.