Senegal has signed a deal with separatist rebels. But will it end one of Africa’s longest conflicts?
DAKAR, Senegal — A new peace deal between Senegal and a separatist rebel group in the country’s southern region has been touted by the government as a key step in ending one of Africa’s longest conflicts. Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko touted the latest peace agreement as an important step in ensuring lasting peace in Casamance, home to some 1.6 million people. The rebels’ calls for the region’s independence will be difficult to neglect despite the new deal, said Mohamed Traoré, a doctoral researcher at the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar. However, Amidou Djiba, a spokesman for one of the factions not involved in the peace deal, earlier this year accused Senegal’s government of “choosing the people it talks to,” a trend he said would not help the return of peace in the region.
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