Trading across borders in West Africa, with its rutted roads and bribe-hungry police, has never been easy. SEE ALSO: 100 arrested in Embu for flouting anti-Covid-19 measuresThe breakdowns in trade are contributing to fears of a spiralling food crisis. A separate survey by Réseau Billital Maroobé, a collective of West African herders, showed economic activities were at a standstill for 42 per cent of herders in the region as of last week. Much of West Africa's food trade is conducted by small-scale traders hauling anything from sacks of yams to chickens, onions and bananas aboard public transport, or driving herds of cattle across borders. SEE ALSO: West African food trade under strain as Covid-19 shuts bordersMauritania closed its border with Senegal, the main market for its livestock, in March.

Source: Standard Digital May 27, 2020 19:31 UTC