May/Transport: City council denounces abandonment of the island and demands urgent support for tour operators

In statements to the press, the mayor said that the transport policy for the island "has not met local needs", with "damaging consequences" for the economy and people's lives.

"On behalf of the inhabitants of Maio, we take the floor today to say that the problem of inter-island transportation is becoming unbearable. The government of Cape Verde, as well as the other organs of power, cannot continue with their heads hidden while their whole bodies are exposed to the despair of the whole island," he said.

According to Rely Brito, the current constraints on maritime and air transport are no longer one-off incidents but a "daily reality", which has had a strong impact on the daily lives of the inhabitants and the functioning of economic activities.

The mayor also highlighted the difficulties in accessing services such as medical appointments off the island, the drop in tourist arrivals and the obstacles in supplying local businesses, which, he said, have weakened small business owners and threatened jobs.

"Shipments are delayed, shelves are emptied, prices are rising, customers are becoming scarce," he lamented, reiterating the need for support for traders and entrepreneurs in the tourism sector hit by the crisis.

In this context, he appealed to the government for a transport policy capable of responding to the challenges of insularity, calling for "urgent solutions" with the airlines and shipping companies to put an end to the isolation of the island of Maio.

Maritime transport to Maio has been conditioned since the breakdown of the Kriola and Liberdadi ships, while air connections have been marked by successive cancellations, aggravating the crisis in the sector.

Inforpress/End