Tension over new tax eases as general strike is called off

Tension eased in Niger on Tuesday as leaders of a three-week-old protest movement against a new tax on basic foodstuffs called off a 24-hour general strike in the interests of peace. Saouna Inoussa, a spokesman for the alliance of 30 civil society groups calling itself the Coalition Against Costly Living, said the stoppage had been suspended “to create an atmosphere of détente”. A march would be held in the capital Niamey on Saturday instead, he added. The coalition, set up in protest against the imposition of a new 19 percent value added tax (VAT) on basic goods and services, is locked in a standoff with the government following the arrest last week of five of its leaders. They have been charged with plotting against the state and face up to 20 years in jail if convicted. "We are ready to enter negotiations, but on condition that our unjustly imprisoned leaders are freed," Inoussa told reporters, adding that the suspension of the strike would “give the authorities time to satisfy our demands.” The government has said the five leaders of the movement who have been formally charged first must apply to the judiciary to be set free. It released 40 other detained protestors on Monday in Maradi, a town 600 km east of the capital. It was unclear whether a further 25 to 30 protesters who were arrested during a stay-at-home strike last week in the provincial towns of Zinder and Tahoua were still being held. Niger, which is ranked as the world’s second poorest country by the United Nations, has been the scene of mounting tension following the imposition of the new tax, which has pushed up the price of everyday items such as flour, milk and sugar, water and electricity. The five arrested coalition leaders were detained just over a week ago after urging Muslim and Christian leaders to hold prayers to save the country from misery. A government spokesman described their appeal as "a veiled call to rebellion." Niger's government argues the new tax is needed to boost state revenues and reduce the budget deficit, but the coalition says it is crippling the country's 11 million people, 60 percent of whom live on less than a dollar a day. Last month, the World Food Programme (WFP) appealed for US $3 million to help feed some 400,000 people in Niger, following crop devastation by locusts and drought last year. The Coalition Against Costly Living began its protests on 15 March when tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Niamey in one of the biggest demonstrations the city has seen in recent times. The government of this arid landlocked country subsequently banned public gatherings, so the organisation turned to stay-at-home protests instead. The coalition brought normal activity in Niamey to a virtual standstill on 22 March and again on 31 March.