The Crisis in Casamance, Southern Senegal: A Call to Action for the Presidents of Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea – Bissau!

Following an in-depth study of the Casamance Crisis, I concluded that colonial legacies such as arbitrary boundaries, ethnicity, poverty and the regions linkage to the single capitalist global economic system have largely been the driving forces towards the intermittent fueling of the conflict. I also concluded that a political economy approach as theorized by several contemporary scholars of modern African Affairs must be adopted to effectively address poverty, underdevelopment, the threat of drugs and deadly weapons.

From the study it is important to understand that, with the volatility of the region to several actors, brokering and maintaining a peace deal in the quest of ending the crisis has become rather difficult, if not challenging. The crisis has since then become a massive humanitarian disaster for the sub-region, with thousands of people killed and thousands others displaced. Until today, intermittent violence and the deadly effects of land mines continue to ravage the volatile region.

The Friday, October 3rd 2009 deadly ambush that killed Six Senegalese soldiers at the Niagha district along Senegal’s border with Guinea Bissau, about 120 kilometers east of the regional capital Ziguinchor, and the fleeing of over 1,000 civilians along the Guinea-Bissau border must be a call to action for the leaders of Senegal, Guinea – Bissau and the Gambia.
Current reports also indicate that the Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) is now operating in three respective splinter groups – one operating along the border of Guinea –Bissau, one in mid-land Casamance, and a third along the Gambia and Senegal Border in Casamance.

Following findings in the study of the Conflict, what courses of action does the actors of the conflict have to adopt to effectively contain the crisis? That is the very old question that needs to be carefully pondered.

With regional integration that is slowly shaping the sub-region and consequently the African continent, it is important that the major actors of the crisis take a forefront in crafting a peaceful resolution that will pave the way for a lasting solution of the crisis. Major actors such as Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, The three MFDC factions, must all be part of such an effort.

In view of the aforementioned analysis it is important that an African Union Emissary be deployed to meet the Secessionist leaders before a peace and solidarity meeting that will bring the Heads of States of the three neighboring countries and the Secessionist leaders together; such an emissary could be either a former Head of State or a former distinguish African of high International credentials.

Knowing the historical ties and the colonial legacies that divided the region, it is imperative that a Comprehensive Peace and Reconciliation meeting be attended by the President’s of Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia and all the three MFDC faction leaders. With an understanding that the people of Casamance aligned themselves more to Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia, and that The Gambia and Senegal are one people in two separate states, significant progress could be made towards the achievement of a lasting peace.

The Comprehensive Peace Plan must include Disarmament, Integration, and Amnesty, with a properly spelt out economic incentives for Secessionist combatants. The Integration must take shape across political, economical and social parallels of all the three neighboring countries.

Such a Comprehensive Peace Plan must be supported by micro-finance projects in education, agriculture and Professional studies for rebel combatants and youths – an international effort in funding from the World Bank, the IMF, the European Union, the African Union, the League of Arab Nations, China, Japan and the United States could provide considerable support for the cause.

The governments of Senegal, The Gambia and Guinea- Bissau must work together to adopt Integration packages that are in touch with socio-economic and socio –political realities of the respective countries.

A team of experts from the three countries could be appointed to work out details of the integration using peace-making and conflict resolution tools. Such experts must include Professionals with credentials from accredited Peace and Conflict Resolution Institutes. Using conflict resolution tools, the experts would outline an integration and implementation plan for the Secessionist Combatants.

Research further showed that ending violent political conflicts in a region duped as “the Periphery of all Peripheries,” requires a political-economy approach to development with a vibrant capitalist- class free from state predation and poverty reduction (McGowan 2005). Using the States Security apparatus in containing the situation will only fuel the crisis.

Building a strong region will require promoting policies that will eradicate poverty, promote integration and disarmament, end repression and oppression, mobilize resources for indigenous businesses to be competitive in both national and global markets, and uphold the rule of law as stipulated in national constitutions.

There is no doubt that once the Presidents of Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and the three MFDC faction leaders meet in the name of African Unity, global peace and security, the Casamance province may likely be on the path of becoming a conflict-free zone in West Africa.

This is just a food for thought.

Binneh s Minteh, Former Gambian Army Lieutenant, Newark, New Jersey

The author is an Independent, Researcher, Analyst and Consultant. He could be reached by email at bsm235@nyu.edu