Image: MV ALINE SITOE DIATTA

The ferry between Dakar and Ziguinchor in the port of Dakar. The ferry was out of service at the time of the research, removing the direct connection between the two cities.

The Casamance Conflict in southern Senegal is known as West Africa’s longest-running conflict, which started in 1982 and is still ongoing as of the time of writing, well over 40 years after the initial hostilities. In this conflict, the Movement of Democratic Forces of the Casamance (Mouvement des Forces Démocratiques du Casamance), also known as the MFDC, is fighting the government forces of Senegal in an effort to reshape the Casamance as an independent country instead of being a region of Senegal (Kanté & Toupane, 2024). 

Ever since 2014, the conflict has been classified as a low-intensity conflict, with most of the hostilities occurring after the 1990s until the death of the MFDC’s leader in 2007, leaving the movement splintered with different commanders and agendas. Attacks, although less frequent than in previous decades, still occur around the borders of the region. Additionally, the threat of landmines is still present in the region, with over 870 people dying due to these devices between 1988 and 2023 (Kanté & Toupane, 2024). Although the Senegalese government has already cleared over 2 million square meters of landmines, the threat still persists.

Due to the length of the conflict, an entirely new generation of young adults who were born after the start of the hostilities is currently residing in the Casamance region. As a matter of fact, the median age in Senegal is 19.2 years (Senegal - the World Factbook, n.d.), meaning that the majority of the country’s population was not born when the conflict started. This can also be seen in the demographics of Ziguinchor in the table at the bottom of this page. This gives a perspective from the ground that might be able to offer parallels to other contemporary long-lasting conflicts in areas with a young population, such as the east of the DR Congo and Sudan. It is therefore interesting to explore what the younger generation thinks about the conflict and to explore the position of young adults in Ziguinchor, the capital city of the Casamance, in relation to the conflict and the rest of Senegal. This research aims to answer the question: how does the Casamançais urban youth perceive peace & crisis in the region, in its absence or presence, and considering the temporality of crisis?

In order to answer this question, this research will be using the theoretical frameworks of Berckmoes, Eichelsheim, Rutayisire, Richters & Hola (2017) of intergenerational violence in a conflict-affected society, which aimed to explore the transmission of violence between generations. Another framework which will be used is that of de Bruijn & Both (2018), which explores the events experienced under enduring hardships in Africa. These frameworks will be applied with Vigh’s (2008) research on the normalisation of crisis in Guinea-Bissau. 

The first part of this research will cover important moments in the history of the Casamance, going back to the 17th century. It is important to be aware of these events in order to get an understanding of the dynamics and culture of the region and get an insight of everything that led up to now. The second part will cover interviews with young adults concerning the conflicts and their opinions about it. The third part covers the opinions of these young men and their experiences during the 2024 electoral crisis, which was an unforeseen development during this research but proved to be very insightful.

TABLE SHOWING THE LOCATION OF ZIGUINCHOR +

BASIC DEMOGRAPHICS OF ZIGUINCHOR

Map of the neighbourhoods and administrative zones in Ziguinchor. Source: Mairie de Ziguinchor