Africa: Air traffic controllers to strike in various African countries, Sept. 23-25

Event

The air traffic controllers union, Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA), has called for a strike from 08:00 Sept. 23-08:00 Sept. 25. ASECNA manages airspace which covers six Flight Information Regions (FIRs), including Chad, Madagascar, Niger, Congo, and Senegal, and represents 12 other countries including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, and Togo. All 17 countries will likely be affected by the strike. Participants intend to demand better work conditions and the reinforcement of operational capacities.

The strike excludes trips of heads of state and government, military flights, health evacuation flights, as well as humanitarian flights, and participation in search and rescue operations. ASECNA has further warned their strike will continue indefinitely should their demands not be met. A similar strike initially scheduled to take place Aug. 27-29 was eventually postponed to allow for negotiations.

Significant air travel disruptions are likely during the strike. Disruptions may also persist after the strike ends as officials clear any backlog of flights. Related protests cannot be ruled out. Police will likely deploy to all protests. Further strike action may occur in the coming weeks.

Advice

Confirm all flights. Do not check out of accommodations until onward travel is confirmed.