Senegal

Background

The Mouvement des Forces Démocratiques de Casamance (MFDC - Movement of the Democratic Forces of Casamance) began an armed struggle against the Senegalese government over the status of the Casamance enclave in 1982. In spite of a series of agreements, culminating with the December 2004 peace accord, the region continues to be the theatre of sporadic fighting between rival armed wings of the MFDC as well as between the MFDC and the Senegalese army.

The MFDC laid anti-personnel (AP) mines during the height of the conflict, with most incidents occurring in the late 1990s. While the intensity of AP mine use has decreased since, a faction of the MFDC reportedly laid AP mines in 2006. In late 2006 and early 2007, two different MFDC factions carried out attacks against military deminers. Senegalese authorities have cited insecurity associated with the MFDC as a persistent challenge for demining the country’s south.

Activities

Following a field assessment mission undertaken in late 2006, Geneva Call has been engaging the MFDC in an AP mine ban. Much of the engagement has targeted factions based along the border with Guinea Bissau, an area that is particularly affected by AP mines. The organization has held intensive consultations with MFDC political and military leaders to advocate for their renunciation of AP mine use and collaboration in humanitarian demining. These activities have contributed to raising their awareness of the AP Mine Ban Convention's norms, and to influencing their position on the issue. In addition, Geneva Call has expanded its advocacy work to local communities living in areas closed to MFDC camps. These communities can play an important role in promoting the ban to MFDC combattants. Geneva Call’s work in Senegal is undertaken in partnership with Association pour la Promotion Rurale de l’Arrondissement de Nyassia-Solidarité, Développement, Paix (APRAN-SDP) and four other local NGOs active in mine action and peace-building.  

For further information:

Training Manual - La Convention sur l’Interdiction des Mines Antipersonnel au Sénégal: Quels enjeux pour les populations?, Geneva Call - APRAN-SDP, March 2010.

Nancy Palus, 2008, Farming A Deadly Risk in Mine-Laden Southern Senegal, Voice of America, 5 August.

Geneva Call, 2006, Mission exploratoire de l’Appel de Genève au Sénégal, Report of the Geneva Call assessment mission to Dakar and Ziguinchor, 2-12 October.