On 23 January 2009 in some Chadian cities day broke with the sound of citizens banging together pots and pans. Prohibited by the authorities from demonstrating in the streets, Chadians banged their utensils from inside their homes to protest the government’s ban on charcoal, which has people in a panic, burning roots, furniture and anything they can find in order to boil water and cook.

The protest idea came from the Coalition of Parties for the Defence of the Constitution, an umbrella group of opposition political parties. A consumers’ rights association and others are calling for a suspension of the ban until alternative sources of fuel can be made available.

“Women giving birth cannot even find a bit of charcoal to heat water for washing,” Céline Narmadji of the Association of Women for Development in Chad, told news agency IRIN on 16 January 2009.

The charcoal ban - which government officials say is essential to fight desertification - has highlighted the need for alternative household fuels in the country, much of which is rocky desert.

Source: IRIN, 24 Jan 2009; IRIN, 16 Jan 2009

Tags: africa, hygiene promotion, policies & legislation