“The war is over in Casamance,” former Minister of State Robert Sagna, who is also president of the Think Tank for Peace in Casamance (GRPC), an organisation that acts as an interface between the Senegalese government and the separatists of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), said at the weekend in Ziguinchor.
He made the statement on the occasion of distribution of rolling stock granted by Senegal’s First Lady Marième Faye Sall to the handicapped in Ziguinchor, including landmine victims of the Casamance conflict.
“It is not only because the weapons are silent that we say that the war is over. It is true the war is over, but peace has yet to be built,” he said, noting that in the department of Bignona, on the border with the Gambia, the return of peace is more perceptible due to the return of MFDC fighters to their villages of origin.
“In the northern part of Casamance, particularly in the department of Bignona, the return is more effective. Many MFDC combatants have returned to their villages. And a major reintegration assistance programme is underway. Last year, 21 people were reintegrated.
“Those who rebuilt their houses, with the support of the European Union and the Head of State, were given metal sheets and a bonus to continue their integration. And we have a long list that will continue after the rainy season. Those who have rebuilt their huts, we’re going to help them to reintegrate,” he said.
He added that the return of combatants to their villages is accelerating in the department and it will soon start in the southern part bordering Guinea-Bissau.
In the northern part, the process is accelerating and it will also start in the southern part of Casamance. So the return of combatants to the villages is a reality. And you also noted that in general, there is a lull, the movement of people and goods in Casamance has become a reality. People have resumed the cultivation of their fields and rice fields especially this year when we have benefited from a good rainy season,” he noted.
Sagna invited those who speak about the peace process to be vigilant, because of the risks involved.
“In this matter, we must be discreet because of its delicacy. That is why we ask those who speak and who do not know, to ask and be informed,” he said.
The MFDC has been fighting since 1982 with arms in hand to obtain the independence of the southern region of Senegal, cut off from the rest of the country by the Gambia.
