Panafrican News Agency

Women for Peace in Casamance calls for mobilization of energies for definitive peace in south of Senegal

Ziguinchor, Senegal (PANA) - The president of the Women for Peace Platform in Casamance, Ndèye Marie Thiam, Thursday launched an appeal for the mobilization of energies to make 2020 a year of peace in Casamance.

Thiam launched the appeal in Mpack, located on the border between Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, about 20 km south of Ziguinchor, on the occasion of the celebration of the international day of peace.

The event was organised to give support to the populations of this zone who bore the full brunt of throes of the Casamance conflict.

According to her, this peace should be a peace of men and women engaged in conflict who will succeed, beyond ideologies and diverse opinions, to transcend their differences through a sincere dialogue, free from any distrust.

She underlined that forgiveness was very important, hence the peace-restoring dialogue, noting that during the high points of the conflict, many abuses were committed.

“During the peak of the conflict, numerous atrocities were committed: assassinations, disappearances, thefts, deprivation of land from which we still suffer. Our commitment to peace must lead us to transcend these sufferings, to cultivate this desire for forgiveness stronger than revenge,'' she said, before confiding that Casamance needed peace more than ever.

''Natural Casamance needs peace more than ever. Lasting peace for the best and well-being of all. We salute the remarkable efforts made in this direction to live for a few months a lull at the cost of so much effort that we cannot afford to lose,” she stressed.

She invited everyone to a sincere dialogue so that there would be a definitive peace.                        

"Let us sincerely dialogue in a transparent manner and forgive ourselves, then to others to consolidate the gains and move towards a perennial, lasting peace," she said.

Thiam noted that the theme for this year touched burning embers which could stir up conflict if nothing was done, recalling in passing, the many centers of tension noted here and there in Casamance caused by this factor.

“This year's theme touches a burning ember which, if we are not careful, will again stir hostilities.

“The sustainable management of our natural resources be it forest, land, minerals, fishery products, remains a topical concern due to foci of tension raised in several localities of Casamance (...). We are still appealing for the mobilization of energies, to surpass our interests and our selfish aspirations, to think of the collective in order to build a sincere peace process, based on reconciliation, forgiveness and the preservation of natural resources,” she noted.

The ceremony was chaired by Secretary of State of Senegal Moïse Sarr who gave the assurance that this kind of initiative met the support of President Macky Sall who was a man of peace.

Consequently, all the peace actors can count on him to make it effective in Casamance, indicating that since his arrival at the head of Senegal, he had made Casamance his top priority.

He said, to achieve lasting peace, the return of displaced persons and the revival of economic activities in the region was necessary.

 

-0-     PANA     MAD/BEH/KND/RA   3Jan2020