+++By Bakary Badji+++
Dakar, Jan 4 (APS) – The former director of the materiel service of the Senegalese armies, the late Colonel Lamine Diédhiou, carried on his shoulder, in addition to his human qualities recognized by all, the military values of discipline and dedication to his country. In tribute to his rank and his exemplary career, on December 17, 2024, the Republic named Camp Lemonnier in his name, thus bringing this illustrious officer into the pantheon of immortals of the Senegalese nation.
“Through these baptisms, the armies pay tribute to eminent personalities of our institution, whose life and service must inspire current and future generations,” said Colonel Birane Niang, the current director of the material service. of the armies (DIRMAT), during the renaming ceremony of Camp Lemonnier after Colonel Lamine Diédhiou, who died on December 20, 2021 at the age of 83.
”This ceremony honors an exceptional man, one of the most emblematic military leaders of the Senegalese army, who left an indelible mark on DIRMAT,” according to Colonel Niang. Referring to the career of Colonel Diédhiou, he stressed that ”retracing his life is in some way revisiting the history of DIRMAT through the ages”.
During this ceremony, the director of the structure responsible for the arsenal of the national army recalled that, throughout his 36-year career, Colonel Diédhiou embodied and disseminated the values and spirit of the ”Diambars ”(The Braves), nickname given to soldiers of the Senegalese army.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Juliana Diédhiou, the godfather’s daughter, recalled that her father ”was known for the mastery of his art and his unfailing honesty”. She also recalled that her father, born on December 31, 1937 in Kagnobon (Bignona, south), was a fervent patriot who, throughout his career, embodied the values of dedication to the service of the nation.
These testimonies are corroborated by former brothers-in-arms of Colonel Diédhiou. Adama Sonko, his former comrade in the equipment battalion and current village chief of Kagnobon, describes him as ”a model and an eminent officer, who deeply loved his country and his battalion”.
”Gango” or loyalty personified
The loyalty to the Republic of the now godfather of the ex-camp Lemonnier ”has never been faulted,” according to Colonel Alioune Seck, who wrote a tribute text published in Le Témoin of December 27, 2021, a week after the disappearance of his comrade-in-arms.
Of average height and imposing build, ”Gango”, as Colonel Diédhiou was affectionately called, was a ”workaholic”. ”Even after obtaining the rank of lieutenant, we did not distinguish him from soldiers,” remembers Adama Sonko. To those who pointed out to him that he was no longer a soldier, he simply replied: ”I chose mechanics”.
Colonel Lamine Diédhiou was also known for leading the weekly morning pistol shooting sessions, organized from 6 to 7 a.m. at the initiative of General Mamadou Seck, then Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMGA), at the intention of the officers of the Dial Diop headquarters, confides Alioune Seck in his tribute to his former comrade.
In addition to his sense of duty, his patriotic conscience and his inventive and resourceful spirit, Alioune Seck particularly remembers from Colonel Lamine Diédhiou his innovative initiative to dieselize Senegalese armored vehicles.
Thanks to his rigor and his love of work, ”Lamine Diédhiou was appreciated by all the officers, including his superiors,” confides Adama Sonko. Moreover, “Gango” was renowned for his sympathy and his warm attitude towards everyone. ”I never saw him shout at a soldier,” he adds.
However, his kindness and open-mindedness did not prevent him from being firm. ”We didn’t challenge him in the army,” reports the village chief of Kagnobon.
Officer with a big heart
Originally from Ziguinchor, a region which paid a heavy price in the Casamance conflict, the former director of DIRMAT also distinguished himself as a key player in appeasement in this region in the south of the country. According to Colonel Alioune Seck, Colonel Diédhiou worked tirelessly for the return of peace to Casamance, before and during his 28 years of deserved retirement.
If Colonel Lamine Diédhiou was known for his dedication under the national flag, he was also renowned for his big heart. The consistent testimonies describe him as a man who worked ”with true priesthood” in favor of the poor.
”At mealtimes, his house was always full of guests from all walks of life. His official residence had become a refuge for many people hit hard by the rural exodus and often in search of opportunities,” recounts Colonel Alioune Seck.
The door to his office always remained open, whether for soldiers or civilians. ”He tried to find a solution, even modest, for each person who asked him, whatever their geographical, ethnic or religious origin,” remembers his brother Kabirou Diédhiou.
In Kagnobon, his native village, he facilitated the enlistment of young people from poor families into the national army. Then, he encouraged them to take part of their first salaries to buy sheet metal for the construction or repair of their family home. ”He thus contributed to replacing straw roofs with zinc sheet roofs,” explains Kabirou Diédhiou, adding that his brother also built a large mosque after his return from Saudi Arabia, where he served as attaché military at the Senegalese embassy.
-During his stay in this country, he supported many Senegalese in their settlement and their search for employment.
From agricultural engineer to army colonel
However, the army was not Colonel Lamine Diedhiou’s first vocation. After passing the sixth grade entrance exam in 1954, he joined the agricultural school of Louga (north), before passing a competitive examination for the agricultural institute of French Sudan (now Mali), where he obtained an agricultural engineering diploma.
He then began a career in this field, in Bignona, but on the recommendation of his father, he abandoned the profession of agronomist to be enlisted, on September 1, 1959, in the French colonial army.
The man of challenges that he was subsequently flew to France to strengthen his military training, the bases of which had been acquired a few years earlier at the Bango training camp, in Saint-Louis (north).
In France, he successively followed training at the Higher Training School for Material Service Officers (1963-1968) and at the Higher School for Material Application in Bourges.
These years of training in France propelled him, upon his return home in 1968, to head the automobile service of the national army, which he directed until 1972.
From 1983, he successively held the positions of head of the army equipment establishment and commander of the equipment battalion.
Thanks to his recognized qualities as an ”extraordinary logistician”, he offered his services to the national gendarmerie, where he contributed to the organization and maintenance of equipment for two years, before leaving this body crowned with the rank of captain.
Prophet at home and beyond
From 1982 to 1983, Colonel Diédhiou served as head of logistics for the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in Lebanon.
On his return, he was appointed deputy to the director of army materiel before being promoted, the following year, to head this department, where he to this day holds the record for longevity in this position.
In 1992, he was sent as a military attaché to the Senegalese embassy in Saudi Arabia, where he served until 1994, when he claimed his rights to a retirement pension.
”The successive responsibilities that he has assumed demonstrate the confidence placed in him by the command and the highest authorities of the country,” underlined Colonel Birane Niang during the naming ceremony of the Colonel Lamine Diédhiou camp.
His feats of arms have been crowned with numerous distinctions, both nationally and internationally.
He was made a Knight of the National Order of the Lion, Officer of the National Order of the Lion, and Commander of the National Order of the Lion.
Abroad, he received the title of Officer of the French National Order of Merit, Officer of the Gambian National Order of Merit, the Commemoration Medal of the United Nations, as well as the Medal of commemoration of Saudi Arabia.
Numerous decorations which eloquently testify to the dedication of Colonel Lamine Diédhiou in favor of peace, living together and humanitarian values.
BB/ABB/OID
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