AA / Tunis / Fatma Ben Amor
The Senegalese Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, condemned the book by a French historian on Casamance, announcing that it will not be authorized in Senegal and denouncing “a destabilization project”. This is the book “The idea of autonomous Casamance – Possibilities and moral debts of the colonial situation in Senegal”, by Séverine Awenengo Dalberto, French researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research.
“No one will promote this book here in Senegal. If this French woman wants to write, she just has to go and write about Corsica which is asking for its independence from France. She just has to go and write about New Caledonia which is demanding its independence, but she does not have to write about Senegal”, declared Sonko during a campaign meeting held on the evening of November 1, in Ziguinchor, capital of Casamance .
“I want to say to France: I don’t know what is behind this affair. Because France had testified in the late 90s with Jacques Charpy, clarifying the question of membership total and integral of Casamance in Senegal Now that there is a regime – as I have always said – which is not anti-French, which is simply pro-Senegalese, a regime which says: we want ours. sovereignty, we will no longer accept being servants of anyone, we are being given a book,” added the Senegalese Prime Minister, head of the Pastef party list in the legislative elections of November 17.
And to continue: “And since they cannot go back on their testimony, they can no longer speak of independence, they slip on the notion of autonomy. We do not want autonomy, that is not what it is. question. We are a unitary state from north to south, from east to west, the same realities will apply to each portion of the national territory.
“This book will not be authorized in Senegal, will not be marketed in Senegal,” he insisted, denouncing “a destabilization project to come and talk to us about what concerns us Senegalese.”
“If France wants to give archives, it only has to give us the archives of its summary executions in Senegal during colonization, of the wars it led here, of the tortures it carried out, of forced labor This is what we expect from France. That it gives us the archives of Thiaroye 44 (massacre of Senegalese riflemen, in the Thiaroye camp, in December 1944, Editor’s note), but not archives on so-called autonomy. of Casamance”, he insisted.
Casamance, cut off from northern Senegal by the Gambia, has been shaken since 1982 by a crisis born from the desire of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) to use arms for the independence of the region. Thousands of civilian and military casualties have been recorded since then. Talks between the State and factions of the movement have never resulted in definitive peace for the region which has significant economic potential.
Only part of the dispatches, which the Anadolu Agency broadcasts to its subscribers via the Internal Broadcasting System (HAS), is broadcast on the AA website, in summary form. Please contact us to subscribe.
