Through fields and forests, with only her clothes on her back, Kujabee did not stop until she reached Bajagar, in the Gambia, about a mile north of the border. “The sun was hot. “I ran until my sandals were cut,” says Kujabee. She manages to find a room to sleep in and polite hosts who feed her and others, but says, “I do not know anyone here.” map of Casamance, Gambia and neighboring states In recent weeks, hundreds of people like Kujabee have fled the latest outbreak of one of Africa’s oldest ongoing conflicts – between the Senegalese army and separatist rebels in the south, in the small part of the country below the Gambia. In some places, entire villages have been abandoned. Recent fighting has also displaced thousands of Gambia residents as gunfire and bombardment spilled over the border. Along the West Coast of the Gambia, villages have swelled with people seeking refuge, sometimes with families, sometimes with strangers. Despite the number of truces over the past 40 years, the Senegalese army continues to clash with separatist guerrillas of the Casamance Democratic Movement (MFDC). The aid packages are being delivered by the Gambia National Disaster Management Agency to Kampanti, near the border with Senegal. Photo: Guy Peterson Separated physically, culturally and linguistically from the rest of Senegal, Casamance has historically suffered from a lack of attention from the capital, Dakar. Senegal’s economic downturn in the 1970s is considered by some to be the main cause of the uprising in the 1980s. Although much of the violence peaked in the 1990s, small rebel factions continue to camp along the porous border with the Gambia and Guinea-Bissau, involved in cannabis and timber smuggling. The calm in the battles in recent years has led to greater development in the region and the resettlement of those who escaped from previous battles. But on March 13, the army launched an offensive against rebels led by Salif Santio after abducting Senegalese soldiers on a mission in the Gambia. According to the Gambian National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), more than 5,600 Gambians have been displaced in the past two weeks, along with 691 Senegalese. “Very innocent people are suffering,” said Binta Sey Jadama, NDMA’s regional coordinator. Captive Senegalese soldiers sit as MFDC separatists announce their release in an abandoned village in the Gambian Baipal in February. Photo: Muhamadou Bittaye / AFP / Getty NDMA delivers food and mattresses and assesses the situation in the villages. Gambian President Andama Barrow has pledged $ 5 million (.000 70,000) in relief efforts. Edi Bah, director of the Foni Ding Ding Federation, a local children’s charity, says: “More or less, it’s just the borders that differentiate us; [Senegalese refugees]. » But he adds that many host families whose households have suddenly expanded need cash and food: “Their basic needs are under pressure. Someone who has a family of 10, now you have an extra 20. So the weight has increased “. The bombings, less than two miles from the Gambian border, disrupted last week’s visit to villages by government officials. Banjul government has vowed that the Gambia will not be “used as a launch pad” [for attacks] nor allow anyone to enter the country with weapons and ammunition. “ On Tuesday, after the destruction of several rebel bases, the Senegalese army said in a statement: “These criminal gangs will be pursued to their last ramparts, within the national territory and elsewhere.” The governor of the West Bank region of the Gambia, Lamin Sanneh, discusses the crisis with officials and teachers in the village of Somita. Photo: Guy Peterson Mariam Bojang lives in the village of Kampant, 2.5 miles south of the border, for the second time in three months after fighting in January forced her to leave her village. “We left our things, we left our clothes, we did not have time to go and grab them,” she says, standing next to two large NDMA trucks full of mattresses, rice, dates, beans and baby food. A dispute like this, about identity, is very difficult to resolve Vincent Futcher Other Gambians say animals were shot and fields burned in battle. Some were left behind to protect what they could on their farms. “We thank the people [of Kampant]. They help us a lot. “When we came, we needed something to eat, they gave us something,” said Bojang, who worries that the onions in her field will rot without anyone taking care of them. “War is not easy,” said Sajar Baje, an imam in Bajagar, north of Kampant. “The government must do something” Completely ending the conflict will be difficult, says Vincent Foucher, a researcher at the French National Center for Science Research. “There has long been a debate in Kazamansai society about the relationship with the state of Senegal – whether it was fair, positive or not,” he said. Two displaced women seek refuge in the Kaimo Karanai on the Gambian border with Senegal. Photo: Guy Peterson He says support for independence is declining, but adds: “It’s sustainable for these people [in the MFDC] who continue to fight or continue to fight little. “A dispute like this, a dispute over identity, is very difficult to resolve.” Former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh has been accused of turning a blind eye to insurgents as they crossed into the Gambia. Last week, however, his aunt hosted many displaced people at her Bwiam mansion in southwestern Gambia, which were still hung with his campaign posters. Sira Kamara had to leave her village in the Gambia. “We just took our kids and ran,” he says. “We live here, but my mind is back there.” Sign up for a different view with our Global Dispatch newsletter – a collection of our top stories from around the world, suggested readings and thoughts from our team on key development and human rights issues, delivered to your inbox every two weeks: Subscribe to Global Dispatch – check your spam folder for confirmation email
