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Economic and Social Development – 2012

As of February, many villages remained heavily mined.¹ President Wade blamed MFDC rebels, who he argued were the ones that planted landmines, and said that any demining efforts would require rebel participation.² According to the news, demining efforts were expected to slow down. In the areas of Casamance where fighting continued, mines were reportedly being planted. In other areas, no demining efforts had been made to date.³ The Casamance Head of Mission for the NGO Handicap International, Jean-François Lepetit, estimated that 90 percent of the total mined land is yet to be cleared, most of it in northern Casamance along the Gambian border. Limited progress was nevertheless made, with six villages declared mine-free in June. International actors, such as the EU, supported such efforts financially.⁴

1. “Senegal’s Wade takes campaign to restive Casamance,” Agence France Presse, February 11, 2012.
2. “Wade woos voters in strife-torn Casamance,” Agence France Presse, February 11, 2012.
3. “Casamance Mine Removal Slows,” United Nations Integrated Regional Information Networks (Nairobi), July 12, 2012.
4. “Senegal: Demining Faces Slow-Down,” Humanitarian News and Analysis, July 12, 2012.