Current Issues

Senegal Today

Senegal became independent on August 20, 1960, when the country withdrew from the Mali Federation, which was territory owned by the French. Thus gaining Senegal's independence from France.

The world bank describes Senegal today as being one of "the most stable countries in Africa." It is a peaceful country; however, there are active terrorist groups in neighboring countries like Mali, which can be disruptive to the security in Senegal.

Financial Partner/Investor

Despite Senegal's withdrawal from colonial rule in 1960, France continues to be its biggest investor and economical partner! The French Development Agency (AFD) has been contributing nearly 2.2 billion dollars since 2007. That's a lot of money!

French and Senegal also made multiple agreements during the intergovernmental seminar in Champs-sur-Marne, where they discussed issues such as sports, education, agriculture, security, and economic development. They continued this seminar, but the last one happened in 2019 before being interrupted and paused by COVID.

Another financial partner/investor in Senegal has been China. It is well known that China has been rapidly investing in African countries in an effort to be a part of future African development. Senegal is one of the quickest developing countries in Africa, and one of the reasons that they are so successful is because of the location. The Port of Dakar, is is in a perfect spot to be efficient and well-used, making it one of the most popular and largest ports in Africa. This makes Senegal a very attractive place for China to invest in for economic power.

These investments in Senegal are benefiting both the investor, and Senegal itself. For example, the unemployment rate in the country has dropped significantly since the investors have begun building and having jobs to be done by the people in Senegal.

France and Senegal Today

There was no easy-access evidence showing any kind of formal apology made by France about their previous rule and colonization, but there is an abundant amount of resources showing how much France has invested and traded with Senegal. More detail is explained in the paragraphs above. In my opinion, given how close of partners France and Senegal are in terms of exchanging goods, investment, and economic development, I think that France is making up for the past by helping Senegal with economic growth and an upgrade to the country.

Casamance Conflict

Casamance is a region of Senegal, located beneath the Gambia. There has been a long and ongoing conflict in Senegal because of a disagreement around independence, that has lasted for 40 years.

Casamance wants desperately to become an independent country, but Senegal does not want to let them in an effort to keep their territory. And even after multiple negotiations for peace, this dispute between the regions, is still happening today.

If this conflict could be healed, it would not only benefit Senegal, but also The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau, as the countries surrounding Senegal struggle with the crimes created by this ongoing war. In addition, resolving this issue would benefit Senegal as a US partner, because it would make the US more attracted to them as a country, if there was not a war happening there.

Political System After Imperialism

After becoming independent, the prime minister of Senegal changed the agricultural system to focus on increasing peanut production for the country. But then on March 3rd, 1963, the position of prime minister was replaced with a presidential system, which is still used today. Currently, the political system includes a president who is elected by adults to a 5-year term. Macky Sall has been the president of Senegal since 2012, and was re-elected in 2019.

Senegambia!

The Gambia is a country that is almost completely surrounded by Senegal, except for a small coast on the South Atlantic Ocean. In 1982, Senegal and Gambia decided to form a confederation. They called this "Senegambia," and they worked together to harvest and bring in wealth. In the beginning, both countries were doing an amazing job bringing in profit from their cotton, peanuts, etc.. But after a few years, they decided to not fully combine, so the confederation ended in 1989.

Written by Clara, edited by Maia & Sophia Z

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