Foroyaa has been following the Casamance situation since the time of Reverand Diamacoune Senghor. The paper conducted many interviews and covered many incidents of death and destruction that gave serious crises of displacement of villagers in Casamance with a spillover effect in The Gambia, with thousands of refugees in neighbouring villages and even Gambian towns.
Gambian villages became insecure and deaths of Gambian villagers were not infrequent. Disappearance of persons was not uncommon. The rainy season was frequently marked by the movement of villagers from the border area in search of farms in more secure areas, causing losses and inconveniences. 2023 witnessed mass exodus of villagers from the border areas due to exchanges of fire between Senegalese forces and MFDC combatants.
With the coming to office of a new government in 2024 much is expected. The prime minister of Senegal was the mayor of Ziguinchor prior to the political crisis in Senegal which eventually put PASTEF at the helm of the Senegalese state. 2025 is therefore a year of hope that the Senegalese authorities will take the bull by the horn and put the Casamance crisis behind the Gambian and Senegalese people.
Foroyaa will monitor the cropping season in the border area to determine whether a change in government in Senegal has led to changes in the border.
