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Casamance Conflict Univerzitetska hronika - časopis Univerziteta u Travniku CASAMANCE CONFLICT KONFLIKT U CASAMANCE-U Majdi Rajab ABSTRACT Despite its similarities with other contemporary African conflicts, the This paper provides a background of Casamance conflict presents some particular conflict in Casamance and gives details on aspects: the regional dimension of the the beginning of the conflict, the parties and conflict which related to the landlocked the actors to the conflict, it discusses the position of The Gambia inside the Senegalese attempts of the conflict from the beginning territory and the border with Guinea Bissau. to present , and discusses the nature of of The conflict is above all a separatist conflict . the conflict. The conclusion provides Little is known about the conflict as compared some lessons learned from the Casamance to other ones that have taken root in West conflict , attempts to solve this conflict and Africa. The objective of this paper, therefore, recommendations for the management of is to discuss the Casamance conflict in order the conflict. Besides the fact that it provides to provide some knowledge and a better some knowledge on the Casamance conflict . understanding of the conflict which has been going on for 34 years. Keywords: Casamance, conflict, Senegal This paper provides a background of conflict and gives details on the beginning of the SAŽETAK conflict, the parties and the actors to the conflict, it discusses the attempts of the Ovaj rad pruža pozadinu sukoba u conflict from the beginning to present , and Casamance-u i daje detalje o početku sukoba, discusses the nature of of the conflict. The stranama i akterima u sukobu, razmatra conclusion provides some lessons learned pokušaje sukoba od početka do danas i from the Casamance conflict , attempts to raspravlja o prirodi sukoba. Zaključak daje solve this conflict and recommendations neke lekcije naučene iz sukoba Casamance, for the management of the conflict. Besides pokušaje rješavanja ovog sukoba i preporuke the fact that it provides some knowledge on za upravljanje sukobom. Pored činjenice da the Casamance conflict, this paper refers to a pruža određeno znanje o sukobu Casamance. conflict theory . In order to fulfill the purpose of this study Ključne riječi: Casamance, konflikt, Senegal the following research question has been formulated : what , when and where is the INTRODUCTION Casamance conflict ? who are the parties of this conflict? The Casamance conflict is part of numerous civil wars of post-colonial Africa. The BACKGROUND conflict opposes the Senegalese State and the Mouvement des Forces Démocratiques de la Casamance is located in the Republic of Casamance (MFDC) . The MFDC has been Senegal, which is situated in the western part fighting for the independence of Casamance of the African continent. It is bordered by province since 1982, but to this date , has Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, failed to achieve this goal. Guinea and Guinea Bissau to the south and 9 Univerzitetska hronika - časopis Univerziteta u Travniku the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The Republic a senior Senegalese official told Reuters, of The Gambia is an enclave stretching into asking not to be named. “If we have failed the southern part of the Senegalese territory, to resolve the crisis it is because the army separating the Casamance from the rest and the state underestimated the rebellion,” of Senegal. Senegal is a former French the official said. “They moved from hunting colony. The country was first invaded by the rifles to AK 47 (assault rifles). Now people Portuguese in the 15th century. For the next have realized they have heavy weapons.”The three centuries, other European states, such source said the Casamance rebels’ arsenal as France, Great Britain and Portugal, battled now includes 12.7 mm machineguns and for the control of Senegal’s natural resources, rocket launchers. Three sources also said territory and slave labor6. In the mid-19th one of the Senegalese military’s helicopter century, the French solidified their rule gunships had been grounded by damage over a large part of West Africa, including from rebel fire in fighting in February. Over Senegal, forcing the Portuguese out of the the years, a string of peace deals have been Casamance, pushing them into what is now signed but never implemented amid the Guinea Bissau. Despite resistance from the splintering of factions within the insurgent Senegalese people and in particular from camp and perceptions in Casamance that the Casamançais, French colonial rule Dakar has never taken any peace process continued until 1960, when Senegal became seriously anyway. A common complaint independent and a sovereign state with its is that officials dispatched by Dakar - capital Dakar nicknamed “The Casamanace Men” - have Launched in 1982 and led for years by sought to buy peace by paying off rebels, Catholic priest Father Diamacoune Senghor, rather than addressing the root causes of the the Movement of Democratic Forces for rebellion, and then have ignored the conflict Casamance (MFDC) tapped into historical, once back home. Cisse said the MFDC has cultural and geographical differenceslong been weakened by rifts, but this cash between Senegal’s lush, isolated south over the last decade had fuelled even more and the rest of the largely arid, Muslim- splits as rebels vie for a share. “This money dominated north. Resentment among the has given birth to the entrepreneurs of the southern Diola people against the Wolof, conflict ... it has complicated things. It has Senegal’s dominant ethnic group who have crystallized divisions (David Lewis, 2012 ) traditionally wielded more economic and no : 81O9c20120225 . political clout in the capital Dakar, has helped The Casamance Conflict is a low-level stir the rebellion. Initial violent attempts by civil war that has been waged between the Dakar to stamp out the rebels also brought Government of Senegal and the Movement it new recruits. The rebels have sometimes of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) stepped up raids towards the end of the year since 1982. On May 1, 2014 the leader of to commemorate their founding in late 1982. the MDFC sued for peace and declared a A recent spate of attacks, which killed about unilateral cease-fire. 15 soldiers and left five in rebel hands, could The MFDC has called for the independence also be an attempt by the forest insurgents of the Casamance region, whose population to raise their profile ahead of potential is religiously and ethnically distinct from the talks mediated by the Catholic Church’s rest of Senegal. The bloodiest years of the Sant’Egidio Community. conflict were during the 1992–2001 period Senegal’s army has launched “mopping up” and resulted in over a thousand battle related operations but after years of stagnation, few deaths. in the south believe in a military solution: “If On December 30, 2004 an agreement Senegal had the military means to resolve it, was reached between the MFDC and the they would have done it in the last 30 years,” government which promised to provide the 10 Univerzitetska hronika - časopis Univerziteta u Travniku voluntary integration of MFDC fighters into division occurred between Léopold Sagna the country’s paramilitary forces, economic and Salif Sadio . As a leader of the Southern recovery programmes for Casamance, Front, Sagna made a conscious effort to meet de-mining and aid to returning refugees. president Diouf , apparently to undertake Nevertheless, some hard-line factions of the fresh negotiations.However, because he MFDC soon defected from elements of the failed to consult with the wider organization, MFDC who had signed the agreement and a basically attain independence. The MFDC no negotiations took place following the restored to violence against the Senegalese breakdown of talks in Foundiougne on 2 government ( GOS ) from 1982 under February 2005. the leadership of a Diola Catholic Priest, Fighting again emerged in 2010 and 2011 Augustine Diamacounne Senghor ( N . Okai but waned following the April 2012 election , M. Abdallah , L. Amedzrator , S. Brewoo , F. of Macky Sall. Peace negotiations under the Okyere , 2014 , Finland ) p. 65 auspices of Saint Egidio community took 3 . 2 . The Senegalese State place in Rome and on 14 December 2012, The Casamance rebellion is about the President Sall announced that Casamance struggle of ethnic groups (the majority being would be a test-case for advanced Diola) against the Senegalese state. Since the decentralization policy.But the conflict in beginning of the conflict, two governments Casamance considers intractable because the have managed the Casamance conflict: the goal of MFDC didn’t achieve yet even after Government of Presidents Abdou Diouf last peace negotiations. and Abdoulaye Wade. The position of both presidents has been the same regarding the THE PARTIES OF CONFLICT refusal to grant independence to Casamance. However, their conflict management style THE MFDC differed. Upon his coming to power in 1981, Diouf was confronted with the sudden The MFDC is basically composed of two outburst of the rebellion and responded to it in main parts : a political and a military wing a repressive way. When the military solution , which can also be described in its current become inefficient, then he tried negotiating state as moderate and extremist factions with the MFDC, granted amnesty to MFDC . The political wing has both local and members who were jailed after the 1982 and external branches championing the course 1983 demonstrations in Ziguinchor. Under of the MFDC’s quest for independence. At his leadership, external actors such as The the local front , the Catholic Priest , Father Gambia and Guinea Bissau were very much Augustin Diamacoune Senghor , who involved in the negotiations. Wade, upon became the Secretary- General in 1991 and his arrival to power after the February 2000 subsequently the President, was the main presidential elections introduced a new architect and inspirational leader until his strategy of ‘direct’ discussions with the armed death in January 2007 .
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