Poor Africans Hit Hard By Rising Oil Prices

[beetbox]

Poor Africans hit hard by rising world oil prices

By David Mageria

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Africans are struggling to cope with stubbornly high global oil prices which are forcing many to walk long distances to work or schools, go hungry as food prices skyrocket, and depend on candles to light their homes.

Crude oil prices surged to a record $68 a barrel this week on supply concerns, raising fears of further fuel hikes in Africa where burdened families were already reeling from rises.

"If they are increased again, I will be left with no food to feed my orphans because (food) prices will go up because of transport costs," said Mai Wisiki, a grandmother with four orphans in Malawi's Chiradzulu district.

Across Africa, prices at the pump are ballooning at an alarming rate, pushing millions of people on the world's poorest continent deeper into poverty and adding to the threat to the continent's forests, the source of much of its firewood.

http://za.today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-08-26T090109Z_01_ALL632366_RTRIDST_0_OZATP-AFRICA-OIL-20050826.XML

[Massacure]

1. It hurts all the poor, not just Africans.