President Wade has
advanced a liberal agenda for Senegal, including privatizations and other
market-opening measures. He has a strong interest in raising Senegal's regional
and international profile. The country, nevertheless, has limited means with
which to implement ambitious ideas. The liberalization of the economy was
proceeding, but at a slow pace. Senegal continues to play a significant role in
regional and international organizations.
The intensity of the
conflict has varied over the years. Occasionally there have been violent
flare-ups. The areas in which armed robberies/attacks take place have also
changed over the course of time. Up until 2000, for example, most of the Kolda
region was not an area in which attacks took place. Increasing frequency of
cattle rustling and banditry from bands of armed people who routinely fled into
Guinea-Bissau resulted in closure of the border with Guinea-Bissau in September
2000.
Throughout the history of the insurgency, there have been few incidents of fighting within the city of Ziguinchor and the resort area of Cap Skirring. In recent years, however, rural areas have been the sites of sporadic violent attacks on Senegalese military and civilian personnel and, on rare occasions, tourists.
The conflict has taken
a hard toll on the population living in the Casamance. Normal means of
livelihood (rice farming, other agricultural activities, etc.) are no longer
possible for a high percentage of the population who no longer have access to
their land or who have lost materials due to theft. Normal markets have been
disrupted, and many normal services (such as financial services, health posts,
schools) have been suspended or ended.
In December 2000, the
Government issued a general warning to the national press that the
dissemination of communications from the MFDC would be considered attempts to
derail the Casamance peace process and would be prosecuted under the Penal
Code. On the same day, the publisher and managing editor of the newspaper Le
Populaire were summoned and interrogated for 7 hours by the criminal
investigation division after the newspaper published a review of the
19-year-old Casamance conflict; 3 days later, they were arrested and then
released on the same day after being charged with "disseminating false
news and undermining public security." In January 2001 the cases were
dropped.
Sporadic fighting
continued during 2001 in the Casamance area in the southern part of the country
between the Government and the secessionist Movement of Democratic Forces in
the Casamance (MFDC). The incidence of violence in the Casamance region
increased during the year, particularly in June and July, and reportedly
resulted in some deaths. The military zone commander for the Casamance region
made an effort during the year to reduce the number of human rights abuses
committed by security forces under his command. During 2001, the press
continued to report on frequent small arms attacks, raids, ambushes, and
clashes with military forces by suspected MFDC gunmen, with continuing military
and civilian fatalities. In March 2001 the Government and the MFDC signed two
peace agreements designed to end the 20-year insurgency; however, these
agreements were ineffective and fighting continued in Casamance. Following a
change in MFDC leadership in August 2001, new talks were proposed but had not
taken place by year's end.
Duirng 2001 Human
rights NGO's in Casamance reported a decrease in the number of detentions of
suspected MFDC rebels reported by local families; however, in January Amnesty
International reported that 30 MFDC sympathizers remained in detention in Dakar
and Kolda without trial. According to Amnesty International, the sympathizers
were arrested in 2000 because of their Diola ethnic origin; they were charged
with compromising state security, but no evidence was provided of their
involvement in any acts of violence. Following the signing of a peace accord
with the MFDC on March 16, on March 19, the Government released 16 of these
prisoners; the remaining 14 prisoners remained in detention at year's end.
To be continued………
By:
Saidina Alieu Jarjou
Blogger/
Activist
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