Chad charcoal ban enflames public

By Celeste Hicks BBC News, N'Djamena

A ban on the use of charcoal in Chad is making life hard for people already struggling with high food prices.

Families are being forced to burn furniture, cow dung, rubbish and roots of plants in order to cook.

Since the clampdown was announced - officially in order to help the environment - charcoal has become almost impossible to find.

"I'm using wild products which I've harvested, such as palm fruits," said Nangali Helene, who lives in the capital N'Djamena.

We understand the need to protect the environment but we find it bizarre that the measures are so brutal and so sudden Marie Larlem Human rights activist In pictures: Charcoal in Chad

"But they make us ill - they don't burn properly and they give off a horrid smoke and smell. Last night we started burning the beams from the roof of our outhouse."

The price of a small bundle of dead wood has shot up from a few hundred CFA francs to 5,000F CFA ($12; £8).

Feelings are running high in the city, with the main opposition coalition organising a peaceful mass action over the next few days.

Please pray for those suffering as a result of this government ban, and for the government of Chad.

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