Landing (b.1995) is the co-owner of a print and cosmetics shop. He is originally from the Lyndiane neighbourhood in Ziguinchor. More introverted than his friend and co-owner, he can often be found sitting next to the group outside while reading a book or looking at his phone.
Landing, Limane, Filal
Filal (b.1998) is a Jakarta driver who often waits around the market area for clients. A native from Oussouye, Filal says that he knows the region by heart, claiming that you can drop him off at any road in the region blindfolded and he will be able to identify where he is immediately.
Limane (b.1995) owns a print and cosmetics store together with Landing, the two met while studying Law at the University of Ziguinchor. Originally from a village not too far from Ziguinchor. A charismatic man, always having a laugh with his neighbours while sitting outside his business over a glass of tea or sharing a meal that he brought from home.
During one of my initial interviews with a group of storeowners around a few cups of tea, one of them asked me the following question after we discussed their backgrounds:
I asked this man, Limane, to elaborate on why he thinks that there is no conflict in the Casamance region. Limane said that he originally grew up in a village close to Ziguinchor and that he hasn’t heard of any conflict-related violence since 2019 and said that the conflict has been over for years, which was supported by his two comrades, Landing and Filal. The conflict has been over in his eyes, because the MFDC no longer recruits new members and there is no clear chain of command among the armed groups. A lot has changed in recent years according to the three men, with Limane mentioning how he remembered hearing artillery being fired on rebel positions when he was a child in 2012,
He did bring up the military truck that was hit by a landmine in December 2023 but also added that the landmine could have been there for a long time before they drove over it. He also added that people used to be afraid to travel at night when the MFDC was active but that people now dare to travel at night between cities because the army is patrolling the roads.
I asked if we could truly speak about peace in the region where there is still a strong army presence, which was received by more laughter from the group. Limane shared his thoughts on this,
This was another interesting statement to make and I asked the group what they meant by saying that. The men were not hesitant to say that they thought that the government funded the entire conflict to keep the army prepared and in check and control the region. According to the three men, having a conflict in the region allows “Sall and his friends in Paris”, “Sall et ses amis a Paris” to exploit the resources in the region for cheap and buy weapons and ammunition from France, as well as to delegitimise Ousmane Sonko, by portraying him as a rebel. They also said that it fuels the internal corruption in Senegal, as many “administrations” as the men call it, were created to bring peace to the Casamance combined with NGOs. In the eyes of the three men, these organisations don’t do anything and might even fund the rebels to make sure that everyone can continue to receive funds and continue their lifestyles. During this talk, Filial said that he did think that the MFDC was right in the beginning, but added that he did not support them, due to the events that happened in 1982, which all three men uniquely blamed on the government. The men said that it was not surprising that many supported the MFDC in its early days because they wanted revenge, but that support quickly dropped after the MFDC started raiding villages and that their generation, born during the conflict, was raised as “Senegalais” and not “Casamançais”.
“Antonie, you are studying conflict. What are you doing here then? There is conflict in Congo, in Guinea-Bissau, but not here!”
“Antonie, vous étudiez le conflit. Qu’est ce que tu fais ici alors? Il y a le conflit au Congo, en Guinée-Bissau, mais pas ici!”
“it was scary, they were shooting a hundred kilometres away but we could hear the explosions where I lived”
“ça faisait peur, ils tiraient a une centaine de kilometres d’ici mais on entendait les explosions chez moi”
“they’re strolling through the forest! Why? To find rebels who don’t exist! The conflict exists for 40 years, it can’t last that long naturally”,
“ils se baladent en foret! Pourquoi? Pour trouver des rebelles qui n’existent pas! Ça fait deja 40 ans que ce conflit existe, un conflit ne peut pas durer autant de temps naturellement”
Next: Assane & Issa about conflict factors