Gambiaj.com – The new authorities in Senegal have remained relatively quiet regarding the resolution of the Casamance conflict, a major issue for which Senegalese citizens are eagerly awaiting solutions. However, this silence may be strategic, as significant efforts are being made behind the scenes.

According to sources closely following this matter, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye met last weekend with Admiral Farba Sarr and his group, key players in the longstanding efforts to restore peace in Casamance. These sources did not divulge details of the highly confidential meeting. Nevertheless, it is believed that the new president sought this group’s consultation to understand various aspects of the conflict and obtain reliable information to formulate an effective peace plan.

Admiral Farba Sarr and his team represented the state in the peace process that led to the signing of the August 2022 peace agreement between some factions of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) and the administration of President Macky Sall. This agreement resulted in the disarmament of combatants from the Diakaye faction (Northern Front), with the disarmament taking place on May 13, 2023, in Mongone, a long-time second headquarters for this faction under Commander Kamougué Diatta. The surrendered weapons were incinerated last December on the outskirts of Ziguinchor, witnessed by NGOs supporting the peace process, such as the Movement Against Light Weapons in West Africa (Malao), state authorities, and former Diakaye combatants.

Involvement of Other Groups During Macky Sall’s Tenure

Besides Admiral Sarr and his group, several other actor groups have been involved in the peace process since President Macky Sall came to power in 2012. These include the Casamance Peace Reflection Group (GRPC), led by former Minister of State Robert Sagna, comprising numerous top Casamance officials and local organizations well-versed in the conflict’s intricacies. This group has extensively traversed the Casamance region, from Diogué at the Casamance River mouth to Gouloumbou at the border between the Kolda and Tambacounda regions, in its relentless quest for peace.

Unfortunately, these groups often worked in a fragmented manner, lacking coordinated action among themselves. On the ground, there was even rivalry among these actors, which many observers criticized, attributing the delay in achieving lasting peace in Casamance to this lack of synergy. Some argue that this fragmentation of peace efforts was deliberate and orchestrated by President Macky Sall for reasons known only to him. While collaborating with all these groups, he reportedly remained cautious of some of them.

What will be the strategy of President Diomaye Faye and his government in managing this complex issue to avoid the missteps of the past that prevented his predecessors from finding a definitive solution to this conflict? Only time will tell.