Communities affected by mining in Koudiadiène, Pambal and Diogo in Senegal demand protection

Senegalese associations including Collectif pour la défense des intérêts de Koudiadiène, Association de défense des intérêts des riveraines des phosphates de Thiès, Association pour le développement des activités des femmes et jeunes de Pambal, Fédération nationale pour l’agriculture biologique and Réseau national des personnes affectées par les opérations minières have submitted on July 18, 2023, a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) parallel report on Senegal that points out to the human rights abuses linked to mining activities undertaken by SEPHOS and GCO.  

The mining activities of these two European companies have led to land grabbing and forced evictions in some localities such as Lam-Lam by SEPHOS and Fout, Keur Gamou and Diourmell by GCO. The affected communities in Koudiadiène, Pambal and Diogo have been forced to abandon their land due to excessive dust that destroys land and crops, and causes health problems including dermatological and respiratory disorders.

These land grabs have also affected their access to drinking water, water for cultivation and to healthcare facilities in the village of Diourmel. Moreover, access to housing has become a problem for 28 families in the village of Fout and for half of adult children in the village of Diourmel. 

Senegalese associations and members of communities affected denounce that compensation has been inadequate or non-existent for those who have been forced to abandon their land.

“Compensation must take into account the annual income earned by each landowner, multiplied by the number of years each landowner has been unable to work his or her land due to mining activities,” said Pierre Pathé Thiao, an affected community member from the Lam-Lam locality. 

The loss of land has left members of the communities living in poverty and some are unable to pay for medical treatment. Some families have taken their children out of school due to poverty. In Koudiadiène, affected communities have changed their eating habits, replacing couscous with rice. This situation has led to increased cases of diabetes. Millet agriculture has decreased significantly while peasants have stopped growing tomatoes, especially in the fields near the mining sites. Moreover, some families do not have the financial means to buy other food such as meat or fish to diversify their meals.  

Agricultural land and biodiversity have therefore been destroyed, impacting people’s livelihoods and right to food.  

“We have heard that GCO has restored a part of the land destroyed and it has given it to the Water and Forest Service. The land must be returned to the previous landowners,” said Pape Beye, a community member from Diogo who has lost his land. 

This UPR parallel report requests that Senegalese authorities guarantee the restoration of the land as a first step to ensuring communities’ livelihoods and that the restored land returns to the members of the communities. Second, among other claims, affected communities call for legal recognition of customary rights over their land which will require a reform of the current land governance, which considers rural communities as land users with no control over the land they use for sustenance. 

“Given the importance and social function of land for those who depend on it, the recognition of customary land rights would be crucial to ensuring that those who depend on land, especially in rural areas, have real control over it,” says Valentin Hategekimana, Africa Coordinator at FIAN International who has contributed to the UPR parallel report.  

Affected communities also denounce the criminalization of human rights and land defenders and demand that the Senegalese state guarantees their freedom of speech regarding their land rights concerns.  

Read the full UPR parallel report on Senegal in French here.

For more information, please contact Valentin Hategekimana: hategekimana@fian.org