Senegal bans government travel

Senegal's government has suspended all non-essential foreign travel by ministers and top officials, warning of "extremely difficult" times ahead as the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran drives global oil prices higher, straining the nation's budget.



The war and Iran's effective closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz have roiled global energy markets, sending the price of benchmark Brent crude soaring and pushing governments around the world to take steps to mitigate the negative impacts.



Addressing a youth event in the coastal town of Mbour on Friday evening, Senegal's Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko pointed to oil trading at about $115 a barrel, nearly twice the $62 per barrel assumed in Senegal's budget projections.



"No minister in my government will leave the country unless it is for an essential mission related to the work we are currently undertaking," he said, announcing that he had already cancelled his own planned trips to Niger, Spain and France.