An interesting outsider’s perspective on the Casamance Conflict and the position of the Casamance in Senegal came from Jean, a police officer originally from Rufisque, a suburb of Dakar. I initially met Jean while hanging out with a friend at the Aline Sitoe Diatta roundabout, one of the central points of Ziguinchor. Police forces are often stationed at the roundabout, checking the traffic entering and leaving the city. My friend briefly exchanged some pleasantries with the officers in Wolof, following which Jean walked over to us to introduce himself. He also mentioned that he had seen me walk around on multiple occasions as I had to cross the roundabout whenever I would go out to get groceries. I explained who I was and why I was in Ziguinchor, after which Jean asked me if I would be interested in taking his Whatsapp number. Initially suspicious that I said something wrong, I carefully asked if it was for police purposes or personal interest, to which Jean confirmed to me that it was the latter. We texted back and forth for a few days before agreeing to meet up for an interview at a place right next to the Casamance River.  

Jean had been in Ziguinchor since May 2023, when he got transferred from his previous station to Ziguinchor in order to deal with the civil unrest after the arrest of then mayor of Ziguinchor, Ousmane Sonko. He said that it was the first time that he had been to the south of Senegal and his first time in the Casamance. I asked him how he saw the region as an outsider, to which he answered that he had heard how the Casamance was a rebel region which should be avoided if needed. He said that his family worried about him when they heard that he had been reassigned to Ziguinchor in 2023. According to Jean, his family was afraid that he would get hurt during protests or that he would be attacked by rebels hiding in the region due to his work. He did add that he had to sleep in barracks at the police station for security reasons but that this is not out of the ordinary for police officers either.

I asked Jean if he felt that these fears for his safety as a police officer in the “rebellious region” were accurate and if he felt like policing in Ziguinchor is different than in other cities north of The Gambia. Jean had a quick laugh while listening to my question, saying that he adapted quickly to the city.

He said that policing in Ziguinchor mostly involves guarding checkpoints at the roundabouts in the city centre and at the entrances of the city and going out on patrols. According to him, the most exciting cases he had since being stationed in Ziguinchor was dealing with a few Jakarta thefts, adding “yes, well…”, “oui, bon…” while raising his hand dismissively, having previously expressed his distrust of Jakarta drivers. I asked if his colleagues and himself also dealt with cases concerning rebel activity in and around Ziguinchor. He said that the police didn’t and that it was solely an army matter, adding that he would hear some updates about army operations in the north of the Casamance from time to time but nothing that would involve him or his colleagues. He added that he liked to travel outside of the city on his days off but that he couldn’t go far because he had to be back at the barracks before curfew, saying the furthest he managed to travel was a day trip to Oussouye. I asked if he would consider travelling to Bignona or any of the areas which are known for more rebel activity, to which he answered that he would not want to go to the areas where the military had a stronger presence. He did add, that besides those territories, he would like to settle in Ziguinchor or on the outskirts of the city once he wanted to start a family, saying that he liked the city well enough to consider staying here. His only issue with settling here, according to himself, would be to find a Catholic wife, as he hadn’t found anyone who he liked enough in Ziguinchor yet.

“At first, I was a bit worried because I arrived during the riots but I found out that life quickly returned to normal”,

“Au début j’étais un peu inquiet parce que j’arrivais ici lors des émeutes mais j’ai vu que la vie retourne rapidement au normal”.