Rédaction Africa Links 24 with pierre Dieme
Published on 2024-03-22 00:34:27
Khalifa Sall’s caravan toured the streets of Saint-Louis on Thursday. This march in the city of Mame Coumba Bang allowed the leader of Taxawu Senegal to gather the concerns of the population, especially those of Guet-Ndar. This neighborhood, mainly composed of fishermen, is currently one of the most exposed coastal areas in the country. Bamba Mbaye spoke on behalf of his community during the visit of the former mayor of Dakar to their stronghold.
“The first problem is coastal erosion. Some people have been displaced, but all their activities remain here. They are forced to pay for transportation every day to get to work,” he lamented. “There are also issues with the fishermen and the Mauritanian authorities, because the border is two kilometers away. All of this is leading to illegal immigration, which was not a particular issue for the Guet-Ndar residents.”
These concerns, according to Khalifa Sall, are a result of the political failure of the government that has been in power for 20 years. The leader of the KhalifaPrésident coalition then offered some solutions. “For us, the problems need to be solved with the people who know their concerns best,” Khalifa Sall stated. “Regarding coastal erosion, you know that rocks placed on the beach cannot solve anything. And the mouth of the river, as Bamba mentioned, we need to address the problem where it is to solve it. Otherwise, we will be throwing billions into the water. There is also the issue of oil exploitation that deprives the fishermen of their source of income. But why don’t they have a percentage of the oil revenue to compensate them?”
Khalifa then made a proposal to the populations affected by coastal erosion. “All coastal cities have the same problems as Get-Ndar. The sea is taking over their homes. That’s why we propose high-rise housing to allow all impacted heads of households to have a place to live,” he said.
Read the original article(French) on Dakar Matin
