Courtesy The Daily Observer @
http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/casamance-tops-agenda-during-president-salls-gambia-visit

Malanding


    Casamance tops agenda during President Sall's Gambia visit



Monday, April 16, 2012
*The decades-long civil unrest that has plagued the southern Senegalese
region of Casamance since 1982 topped the agenda of the discussions of a
day's working visit to the Gambia Sunday by the new Senegalese President
Macky Sall, who was making his maiden overseas trip as head of state.*

Sall, who arrived to a tumultuous welcome, arrived The Gambia a little
over 1500 hours in what was seen as a fulfillment of his earlier promise
to make his maiden overseas trip to The Gambia, and especially in
engaging it to help in resolving the upheaval in the southern part of
his country.

At a news conference at the Coco Ocean Resort & Spa shortly after a
three-hour closed-door discussion, President Sall hastened to stress
that the Casamance crisis has been on for more than three decades, while
underscoring the importance of dialogue in solving the impasse. To this
end, he enjoined his Gambian counterpart, President Jammeh to help in
finding a solution to the crisis, saying that the peace in that region
is in the interest of the two nations.

"I know that this is something that cannot be solved only through
military ways and I know that over the years war did not bring any
solution," Sall said, and added: "We need peace in Casamance to have
peace in The Gambia and the Senegambia region. Without peace there is no
development -- so the priority is to bring peace so that we can bring
about development . I know that for peace to come to Casamance you
[President Jammeh] is the key and this is why I told you during our
discussion that even though I am your elder, you have been in this
position as president for many years. So you can help me."

President Sall, while noting that he has trust in the Gambian leader in
finding a lasting solution to the crisis, assured him of Dakar's
commitment to make peace and friendship with Banjul.

"I have told you that by God willing we are going to tie the bond to
make peace between the two nations because we were both elected
democratically and I assure you that we will not allow anything that
will distabilise The Gambia," he stated.

*Historical ties*

The Senegalese president said he is grateful to God for enabling him
fulfill his wish of making his first official overseas trip to The
Gambia as promised during the race to the presidency.

"Why made this visit to The Gambia is because in historical point of
view, The Gambia and Senegal are the same people. During the
tete-a-tete, you [President Jammeh] pointed out to me that there is no
language spoken in The Gambia that is not spoken in Senegal; and I added
that there is no ethnic group in Senegal that is not in The Gambia. We
are united by a common destiny, we have no other obligation but to be
together and stand together in friendship and cordiality," he underscored.

*Trans-Gambia Bridge*

President Macky Sall also told the news conference that their discussion
also touched on the bridge over River Gambia at Bambatenda-Yellitenda
crossing point. Sall said his country has the problem of connecting the
northern part to the southern part, saying "we need the continuity of
the country which goes through The Gambia because it is a straight line."

"We have other possibilities to go through Tamba Kunda but it is not a
straight way," he stated.

The Senegalese president, while noting that they are all Pan-Africans,
eulogized the Gambian leader's commitment to the construction of African
unity.

"Today more than ever before we have reciprocal trust in our
relationship," he concluded.

Also addressing the news conference, President Yahya Jammeh who gave a
detailed background about his country's efforts to bring lasting peace
to Casamance before a change of government in 2000 that hindered the
process, assured Sall of his commitment to bring an end to the crisis.

"I want to assure you since you are the first president of Senegal to
make The Gambia his first official visit, I will stand with you all the
way to make sure that the problem of Casamance becomes history," he stated.

The Gambian leader opined that the problem of Casamance would have been
history by now if Abdou Diouf had won the elections in 2000 given the
agreement at the time, but noted with dismay that the agreement was
never respected by then Wade-led new government, which asked The Gambia
to distance itself from the crisis.

"At that time we had agreed and have a comprehensive agreement with the
MFDC - they wanted to transform MFDC into a political party and the
others will be reintegrated into the Senegalese armed forces; and we
went further to involve the European Union - they were supposed to
finance the demining of Casamance, the training of the combatants into
useful people and to see how some of them can be reintegrated into the
Senegalese armed forces. All these were signed and it was endorsed by
the United Nations and the European Union and the commission was
inaugurated in Ziguinchor before the election. In fact a Gambian was
appointed to be the chairman of the commission but unfortunately after
President Wade won the elections, he said that it is an internal matter
and Gambia has no role in it," the Gambian leader asserted.

He however assured President Sall of his assistance to bring peace in
that region, while appealing to him to select a honest and trustworthy
committee that can work with him to bring the crisis to an end.

While assuring that The Gambia will not play host to any anti-Senegalese
dissident, President Jammeh also stressed that Senegal must not also be
a host to Gambian dissidents that are against his government.

Shifting his comment to the bilateral ties that bind the two countries,
the Gambian leader hailed his Senegalese counterpart for making history
in view of the fact that he is the first Senegalese president to make
his first overseas visit to The Gambia.

His words: "This has never happened in the history of the two countries
and this symbolizes the importance you have attached to the bilateral
relations between the two countries. This is the sort of relationship
that we have always yearned for between the two. The Gambia's interest
is to make sure that there is an excellent relationship between the two
[Gambia and Senegal] because we are one people divided by colonialism
and this is why 16 years ago I stated that The Gambia and Senegal can
become a model for African integration but unfortunately, our wish was
not reciprocated. But now that you are at the helm of affairs, every
Gambian hopes that we will turn a new page of excellent relationship
where the two citizens will feel at home in either country."

*Bridge*

Also commenting on the River Gambia bridge, President Jammeh said: "With
regards to the bridge, we have the money - if we had wanted we would
have started the tenders about three months ago but we didn't do it for
obvious reasons."

*Communique*

Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs ministers of the two countries, Dr
Mamadou Tangara and Alioune Badara Cisse respectively earlier read the
Joint Communique that was produced at the end of the day's working visit.

In a three-page communique, President Jammeh described Sall's visit as a
clear testimony and manifestation of the common historical and cultural
values, as well as a reflection of the exemplary and cordial ties
between the two nations and their peoples.

President Sall, according to the communique, also pointed out that his
first working visit which he undertook since accession to power
manifests the high priority that he attaches to the promotion of the
fraternal and friendly relations within the Senegambia family.

"In discussing common issues of concern in the sub-region especially on
the developments in Mali and Guinea Bissau, and also on the African
continent, the two heads of state stressed their conviction that there
can be no internal stability without regional peace, and therefore
undertook to fight all forms of threat to peace, security, and progress
in the sub-region and the African continent," it concluded.

Author: *Hatab Fadera *


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