In Senegal, the regions of Ziguinchor (southwest) and Kédougou (southeast) are renowned for their history of major migratory flows. The reasons for departures and arrivals vary from one region to another, as do their socio-economic impacts in these areas.

The United Nations estimates that around 700,000 Senegalese emigrants resided in all countries of the world in 2020, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development  (OECD) report on Senegalese migration. West African countries are home to about one-third of Senegalese living abroad, accounting for nearly 33 per cent, or about 230,000 emigrants, more than half of whom (133,000) reside in The Gambia. According to the same source, the other main West African destination countries for Senegalese emigrants in 2020 were Côte d’Ivoire (30,000), Mali (24,000), Mauritania (19,000) and Guinea-Bissau (9,000). Outside the West African region, Gabon (30,000) and Congo (13,000) are also significant destination countries for Senegalese emigrants. 

The African Centre for Leadership, Human Rights and Innovation Support (Caldhis) conducted an analysis of the contribution of Senegalese migration in the development of three regions of Senegal, including Kédougou (south-east) and Ziguinchor (south-west).

Kédougou’s gold rush: highlight and setbacks 

In Kédougou, the main activity revolves around gold. Gold panning sites are the places where everyone works to meet their needs. They are estimated to be around 94 in the entire region. This activity has boosted the local economy. It has enabled the transformation of people’s living spaces since. For example, the village of Bantako, which had only 15 houses before the start of gold mining, is now home to more than 3000 inhabitants. The region is also marked by immigration with a strong presence of West African nationals.

This is due to its geographical location. Kédougou is a region bordering Guinea and Mali with the presence of several nationalities who operate in the field of trade and gold panning. These people settle in cities or villages and move as the production of the sites evolves. 

According to the study published by Caldhis, Kedougou is also a region of departure for regular migration with achievements of its diaspora that have an impact on the development of the region. It is also experiencing irregular migration, with many young people leaving. Furthermore, it is a return zone with a large number of returnees who are now active in trade, livestock breeding, gold, agriculture and poultry farming. 

Gold mining sites and the construction of dams such as the Sambagalou project also led to the forced displacement of populations who are forced to leave everything behind to rebuild their lives elsewhere, hence the presence of displaced people in the region.”

Youth unemployment is linked to the inadequacy of training in relation to the lack of employment. It is in this context, moreover, that a technical high school was built on site. This establishment “participates in changing the situation with two-year training courses that allow young people to be operational and work in the region in the various sectors (mining, hospitality, etc.),” notes the study. He adds that immigration to the Kédougou region has allowed the transfer of techniques in gold mining from foreign migrants to the Senegalese and immigrants have also contributed to boosting the sector with significant production in the “diouras” (gold panning sites).

Gold mining in this part of Senegal is also a source of problems in the locality. A 2018 study by the NGO Enda Lead entitled: “Diagnostics on the mining sector in the Kédougou region, taxation, migration and gender aspects”, reveals an illicit trafficking of migrants, children, clandestine prostitution, migratory and financial flows which, if not careful, will endanger this entire southeastern part of Senegal. 

According to this study, all this disorder is cleverly maintained by people who work in gold panning sites estimated at more than 31 thousand and 60% of whom are foreigners mainly from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). In the areas of Balanko, Khossanto, Bembou Tenkonto alone, located between 70 and more than 90 km from the urban centre of Kedougou where the study was carried out, no less than 11 nationalities were listed by the research team.

Impacts of migration, Casamance conflict on Ziguinchor  

The Caldhis study also looked at the situation in Casamance, in the south of the country. More specifically in Ziguinchor (south-west). Fishing in Casamance has boosted the local economy following the migration of fishermen to the south and the arrival of nationals from the sub-region, leading to new migratory dynamics in the region. The arrival of many migrant workers have reshaped the economic activities in the fisheries sector and the entire value chain, which is the engine of the local economy.

According to the study  reviewed by Dialogue Migration, “This configuration is marked by a decisive turning point in the local economy and in new settlements s, such as in Kafountine, Ebéné, Diogué and Elinkine –  leading at the same time to an often difficult cohabitation between fishing actors (editor’s note: host and migrant communities) and also to overexploitation resulting in  the scarcity of fish resources. Agriculture, with mango and citrus plantations, not to mention cashew nuts, which are now a new form of investment, are attracting more and more players” in the region. 

Furthermore, tourism is an activity that attracts nationals and migrants thanks to the Cap Skirring seaside  area. As a reminder, Ziguinchor is an area of internal migration with the presence of several ethnic groups in its three departments and a long-standing presence of nationals of neighbouring countries. 

In the commune of Ziguinchor, neighbourhoods such as Tilène  have a strong Guinean community presence, while Guinea-Bissau people come to shop at the Boucotte market.

Caldhis indicates in its report that the reasons for emigration to Casamance are linked to economic causes, following the conflict, which has impoverished the population along with the entire local economy. It should be recalled that the “Casamance conflict” is an ongoing “low-level conflict” waged between the Government of Senegal and the separatist Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) since 1982.

“In Casamance, nature was generous, but with the conflict, poverty has increased. Other causes are related to security, with the intensity of the conflict leading some people to desert  their home villages. Family reunification has also been largely a reason for emigration, with the aim of reuniting with one’s spouse and, particularly in tourist areas such as Cap Skirring where young men and women from or who have come to work have married foreign tourists,” the document reads.

Displacement leading to civic status problems

In Ziguinchor, the Casamance conflict has resulted in a very large number of displaced people with consequences in the affected areas. As a result of this situation, the issue of civic status has become a major concern for the population. Thus, organisations such as the Dynamique de la Paix, with the support of a few partners, are carrying out a census.

“To date, 7,582 people have been identified in a census as having civic status needs. Displaced people have multiple needs (housing, employment, civic status, education, etc.) that are taken care of by mechanisms such as the National Agency for the Relaunch of Economic and Social Activities in Casamance (ANRAC)  based on their means. This is why it is necessary to set up a well-prepared strategy with upstream and downstream support when planning the return of people ,” notes the Caldhis report.

According to the actors, the acquisition of land that is not supervised by multinationals or foreigners and who are active, for example, in cashew nut cultivation is now an issue that is topical at the level of local actors. Land grabbing with large areas purchased from villagers is likely to create other types of conflict in the coming years.

For example, Indians have a strong presence in the cashew nut value chain creating jobs. The cashew nut sector has become one of the leading export crops in Senegal as one of the main sources of income for the populations of the Ziguinchor region. According to the head of the Regional Trade Service of Ziguinchor, “39,477 tons of cashew nuts were exported from the port of Ziguinchor during the 2020-2021 cashew marketing campaign, a decrease in exported production compared to the 2019-2020 campaign, the quantity exported was estimated at 55,311 tons, or a financial value of about 27 billion 182 million CFA francs”.