Between February 28 and 29, representatives of the President of Senegal Macky Sall and a delegation from the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), led by Salif Sadio, met at the Community of Sant’Egidio. After an interruption of the negotiation of several months, the parties solemnly reaffirmed the political will of President Macky Sall and the head of the MFDC Salif Sadio to find a solution through negotiations to the conflict in Casamance, which has been affecting the region for more than 30 years.
A forgotten war that has caused thousands of victims and refugees, also involving some neighboring states, such as the Gambia, which separates Casamance from the rest of Senegal, and Guinea Bissau.
The region, populated by just over a million people, takes its name from the Casamance River which, before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean, abundantly irrigates the soil and makes it fertile.
Unfortunately, most of the crops are abandoned due to the presence of mines, and many young people are forced to emigrate to the north of the country to look for a job or to study.
In a joint statement, the representatives of the President of Senegal and the MFDC declared “the need to resume regular negotiations through the mediation of Sant’Egidio to give new impetus to the peace process in Casamance".
Read the press release [original in French - translation in English]
