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The Public Sphere, Women and the Casamance Peace Process

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The Public Sphere, Women and the Casamance Peace Process HAOL, Núm. 25 (Primavera, 2011), 57-65 ISSN 1696-2060 THE PUBLIC SPHERE, WOMEN AND THE CASAMANCE PEACE PROCESS Irene N. Osemeka University of Lagos, Nigeria. E-mail: [email protected] Recibido: 1 Marzo 2011 / Revisado: 7 Abril 2011 / Aceptado: 20 Abril 2011 / Publicación Online: 15 Junio 2011 Abstract: Women in the Casamance are violent conflict, restore cooperative relations traditionally confined to the private sphere as between warring parties and ensure that peaceful mothers, wives and farmers while a few are relations are maintained after the cessation of female priests. The protracted nature of the hostilities. In other words, a peace process Casamance conflict has had devastating effects involves the various stages of conflict on the civilian population including women. But management which include conflict prevention, it has also provided opportunities for women to conflict resolution and peace building efforts. contribute to the peace process thereby thrusting With regards to the Casamance peace process them into the public sphere, which otherwise, is much of the efforts were focused at resolving the domain of men. The paper focuses on the the conflicts beginning from 1982 when the reconciliatory efforts in the Casamance showing violence erupted in Ziguinchor, the regional the link between the public sphere, women and capital of the Casamance.2 the resolution of conflicts. It will also proffer solutions that can lead to a more inclusive The resolution of the Casamance conflict process, taking into consideration the featured mainly men on either side. The exclusionary approach of the Casamance peace predominance of men in governance has been a efforts which has contributed significantly to the universal norm since government officials and failure to achieve durable solution to the militant organizations are headed by men. As conflict. such, men are the majority among mediators and Keywords: Casamance peace process, the public negotiators who are representatives of warring sphere, women. parties. Women are not totally excluded ______________________ especially in cases where they are in positions of authority, but this is often the exception and not INTRODUCTION the norm. In the case of the Casamance peace process very few women were involved as either he public sphere is that communicative representatives of the Senegalese government or space that allows citizens to interact with the Movement of the democratic forces which Ta view to dealing with issues of common demonstrates the patriarchal nature of peace concerns. The public sphere also promotes processes A majority of women were involved discursive relations that are outside the private as members of civil society and as such they sphere.1 In other words, the public sphere is have not been able to influence the peace beyond the domestic or private sphere, which is process decisively. The need to ensure gender concerned with interpersonal and relational balance in the search for peace is important as issues. The public sphere exhibits gender roles the involvement of official representatives of that distinguish it from the private sphere. While warring parties confers legitimacy on a the private is perceived as the feminine domain resolution process and it is at this level that the public sphere is regarded as a masculine terms of agreement are recognized. The domain. involvement of official representatives of the state is important in the politics of resolving From a broader perspective a peace process conflicts whether the conflict involves groups involves all efforts to prevent the outbreak of within the state such as the Aguleri-Umuleri, © Historia Actual Online 2011 57 The Public Sphere, Women and the Casamance Peace Process Irene N. Osemeka Ife-Modakeke crisis.3 This is also the case in leaders to grant women greater access in conflicts between the state and groups such as deliberations to resolve it. Women in the civil war in Sudan, the Niger Delta crisis and Casamance have been able to contribute to the the Casamance conflicts where the militant Casamance peace efforts through several civil organization are engaged in long drawn armed society organisations and this has translated to conflict with the Sudanese, Nigerian and an increase in the participation of women in the Senegalese states respectively.4 To this extent, public sphere. conflict resolution can be seen as the continuation of the normal business of 1. ORIGIN OF THE CONFLICT AND A governance, which tends to be the exclusive REVIEW OF THE PEACE PROCESS preserve of men, since they dominate the political sphere at almost all levels of The Casamance conflict involves the administration. The predominance of men in Mouvement des forces democratique de la government excludes women from actual Casamance (MFDC), which is mainly deliberations so that a majority of women make dominated by the Jola and the Senegalese up the unofficial and unarmed actors in the government (GOS), controlled by the Wolof efforts to resolve conflicts. ethnic group. The southern part of Senegal is known as the Casamance territory. The territory While this has been the practice in Africa and is located in the rain and swamp forest elsewhere, there have been noticeable changes vegetation belt of Senegal and is inhabited by in the role of women in conflict situations. the Jola, Fulakhunda and the Manding, who Firstly, there has been an increase in the constitute Senegal’s minorities. The majority population of women involved in governance. ethnic groups inhabit the northern region of There has also been an increase in the number of Senegal and include the Tokolor, Fula, Sereer women engaged in actual combats in the recent and the Wolof. The Wolof alone, make up about times. Based on a study of some African one third of Senegal’s population and they conflicts including Sierra-Leone and Liberia, dominate the socio-economic and political John Lahai, agrees that the participation of process of the state.8 women in actual combats has increased but adds that they are more engaged in resource and The origin of the Casamance conflict is rooted opportunistic driven wars5 Similarly, Lahai in the territorial arrangements that were reached also observes that although politics is still the by the European powers at the Berlin exclusive preserve of men, there has been a Conference of 1884-1886 and the establishment relative increase in the number of women of the French colonial administration afterwards parliamentarians in some African countries. .9 The partition was such that, Casamance Women’s political representation increased by which was a Portuguese territory was transferred 11.7 % in Chad 17.3% in Burundi and 11.9% in to the French in 1886. The Casamance territory Senegal between 1990 and 1993.6 In spite of the was administratively merged with northern impressive accounts women are still largely Senegal with the result that northern and excluded from conflict resolution processes and southern Senegal are separated by the state of this partly explains the global outcry for a Gambia.10 Senegal’s early colonial history and greater representation of women in peacemaking the territorial isolation of Casamance explains, efforts. the claims of marginalisation by the Movement of the Democratic Forces of Casamance With regards to the Casamance conflict, women (MFDC) and the demand for independence. The and children were a bulk of the unarmed MFDC resorted to violence against the population who died or survived and have been Senegalese government (GOS) from 1982 under subjected to all forms of deprivation. A majority the leadership of a Jola Catholic priest, of women became a part of internally displaced Augustine Diamacounne Senghor. In addition persons (IDP’S) and refugees. Apart from the to the isolation of Casamance, other reasons for displacements, the sustained periods of armed agitation by the MFDC revolve around the violence in the Casamance has had a de- adoption of the land policy of 1964 which the stabilising effect on family structures where government of Senegal began to implement women play prominent roles.7 Nevertheless, the from 1972. The land policy made it possible for war has provided a basis for agitation by northerners who inhabit the arid region of Casamance women and this in turn has northern Senegal to acquire strategically located increased awareness on the part of political land in the fertile Casamance region.11 In spite of 58 © Historia Actual Online 2011 Irene N. Osemeka The Public Sphere, Women and the Casamance Peace Process these factors, the conflict has been blamed on by some of the Casamance male elite including ethnicity, since it involves the Wolof and Jola Emile Badiane, Ibou Diallo and Asane Seck.17 who are culturally distinct ethnic groups. 12 Although women were not included in the Initially the MFDC was a political association founding of the MFDC, they were to play but became a militant organisation from the significant roles in the Casamance peace efforts, early 1980’s. Since 1981, the MFDC and the in later years. GOS have been engaged in intermittent violence and by 1998, the conflict spread to Guinea- One of the first incidents which involved women Bissau.13 Ironically, the escalation of the conflict as peace makers was the Djignabo incident of and its regional spread intensified the search for 1980, popularly referred to, as the Lyceen peace from the state, regional and international Djignabo incident. The protest was organized by organisations and actors. The regionalization of secondary school students of the Djignabo High the conflict coincided with the emergence of School in Ziguinchor. The protest can be Abdoulaye Wade as the President of Senegal in regarded as part of the general wave of protests 2000. 14 Wade’s liberal stance with regards to that swept through Senegal as a reaction to Casamance peace efforts encouraged the government’s decision to cut down students participation of civil society groups and stipends as a result of Senegal’s dwindling ultimately created avenues for women to economy.
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