|
|
Print-friendly version
Senegal
Area: 197 000 sq km
Population: 11.6 million (2005 UN estimate)
Capital City: Dakar (2.1 million, 2005 UN estimate)
People and language: Senegal is made up of numerous ethnic groups, including the Wolof, Pular, Serer and the Diola. French is the official Language, while Malinke, Wolof, Serere, Soninke and Peul (Pular) are 'national languages'. African languages (most commonly Wolof) are widely spoken.
Religion(s): Around 95% of Senegalese are Muslim. Christianity and indigenous Africa religions are also practised.
Currency: CFA Franc. €1=656 Francs
Major political parties: The two largest parties are the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) and the Socialist Party (PS). Other political parties include the African Party for Democracy and Socialism (AJ/PADS); Alliance of Forces of Progress (AFP); Democratic League-Labour Party Movement (LD-MPT); Independence and Labour Party (PIT); and the Union for Democratic Renewal (URD).
Head of State: President Abdoulaye Wade
Prime Minister/Premier: Macky Sall
Membership of international groupings/organisations: African Development Bank (AFDB), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa (UEMAO), African Union (AU), Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
GEOGRAPHY
Senegal, the most westerly African state, occupies an area of 197,161 sq km between Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south. The Gambia almost divides Senegal in the south. The Casamance region, south of The Gambia, lies on the northern fringe of the monsoon climate, and has a rainy season of 4-5 months. Northern Senegal is arid and increasingly desiccated.
HISTORY
The areas of Senegal around Dakar and St Louis, colonised in the 1840s, were the earliest parts of the formal French empire in sub-Saharan Africa. Dakar was the capital of French West Africa from the early 1900s. Some Africans from this region were granted full French citizenship, and a handful of individuals became prominent in French public life, such as Blaise Diagne and Leopold Sedar Senghor, both members of the French parliament in the colonial period.
On independence in 1960, Senghor became the country’s first President. Famous for his intellectual and literary achievements, his rule was peaceful and largely benevolent, although the country was a one party state from 1966 until multiparty democracy was introduced in 1974. In 1980 Senghor retired, handing the presidency to his Prime Minister Abdou Diouf, who subsequently confirmed his position by winning presidential elections in 1983 and again in 1988.
The presidential elections of 1988 were marred by allegations of fraud and followed by serious rioting. Opposition leaders were tried for incitement to violence, and some, including the veteran opposition leader Abdoulaye Wade, were convicted. The Socialist Party (PS) won elections in 1993 and 1998 and President Diouf was re-elected in 1993. However, with the economy declining in the 1990s and with a series of splits within the PS, the party’s old aura of invincibility began to fade.
POLITICS
Senegal is a presidential republic, with an elected National Assembly. The Senate was abolished in 2001, although a law to reintroduce it is currently under consideration. In a move aimed to reduce the cost of the electoral process, but which has caused considerable controversy, the 2006 parliamentary elections have been delayed in order to coincide with the Presidential elections scheduled for 25 February 2007. However further delays have occurred and the legislative elections are now scheduled for 03 June. The President is permitted to stand for two terms of 5 years, although President Wade is currently completing a term of 7 years, in line with constitutional provision in 2000. The winning candidate must gain the absolute majority of votes in the first round. If this does not happen, the two candidates with the highest number of votes go through to a second round.
Wade won the Presidential elections in 2000 after a second round run off against Diouf. Diouf quickly conceded defeat and there was a peaceful transition to the country's first ever non-PS Government. Legislative elections were called in the following year. PDS centred coalition won convincingly. The ruling coalition currently have a strong majority of 86 of the 120 parliamentary seats, but political affiliations are notoriously fluid, and parties and individual parliamentarians regularly cross the floor between government and opposition.
Wade has worked with 4 Prime Ministers, including from November 2002 to April 2004, the prominent young PDS politician Idrissa Seck. Seck has since publicly fallen out with President Wade. Following his six month incarceration (from July 2005 to February 2006) on charges of fraud and sedition. He has drawn some support from the governing PDS party and formed a new party 'Rewmi' (Nation in Wolof) to support his presidential bid. Other opposition parties are grouped together in the Coalition populaire pour l’Alternative. Presidential elections were held on 25 February. President Wade won in the first round, with an official score of 55.9 %. Seck got 14.9% and the PS candidate Tanor Dieng got 13.9%.
Since 1982 an armed separatist movement in the impoverished Casamance region of southern Senegal, known as the Mouvement des Forces Democratiques de Casamance (MFDC) has been fighting for independence. Negotiations with the Dakar government have been hindered by constant splits and leadership disputes within the MFDC. Much of the apparently rebel activity is little more than banditry. A framework peace agreement was signed in December 2004, but its implementation has not been complete owing to further splits in the MFDC. One faction opposed to the agreement has been involved in 2006 in armed clashes with the Senegalese army. On January 14 the historic leader of the MFDC Fr Augustin Diamacoune Senghor died in a hospital in Paris. The effects of this on the situation in Casamance are as yet unclear.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Senegal has a good record on Human Rights. The press, civil society organisations and political parties generally exercise their activities freely. In recent years however some concern has been expressed over intimidation of journalists, some of whom have been charged with disseminating 'false news'. Several journalists and opposition politicians have been detained or arrested in the first half of 2006 in connection with revelations of alleged government corruption. In July 2004, Madiambal Diagne, Managing Editor of "Le Quotidien" was arrested for publishing confidential reports, false information and incitement to rebellion. He was released after 18 days of detention following a campaign by civil society organisations. The controversial "Ezzan" Law, which grants an amnesty for some politically motivated crimes, was passed on 7 January 2005.
ECONOMY
Basic Economic Facts
Annual Growth: 4.0% (2006 est)
GDP: US\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$10.8bn (2006 est)
Inflation: 2.0% (2006 est)
Main economic sectors: agricultural products (groundnuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, market gardening and livestock), fish processing, phosphate mining, fertiliser production, petroleum refining, construction materials and tourism.
Exports: fish, groundnuts, petroleum products, phosphates, cotton
Main trade partners: EU, United States and India
Exchange rate: €1=656 CFA
Senegal’s economy is based on primary product export (groundnuts, phosphates and fish) and tourism. Remittances from abroad also make a considerable contribution to the economy, especially in the booming construction industry. As a member of the Franc Zone, the country enjoys low inflation. Privatisation of the parastatal which deals in groundnuts and groundnut products (Sonacos) was completed in 2005. The planned privatisation of the electricity sector (Senelec) has been halted and Senelec continues to experience problems in paying market prices for its fuel inputs. Agricultural production was good in 2005 due to a good rainy season, helping it recover from a locust invasion in 2004.
The government’s economic policies continue to concentrate on large scale infrastructure projects, including the planned second international airport near Dakar (to be called the Blaise Diagne Airport). A major project to improve the Dakar to Bamako road is being financed by the Japanese and the EU. The country runs a successful airline (Air Senegal) in partnership with the Moroccan national airline. Telecoms is another dynamic sector, and plans are being considered to tender for a third mobile phone licence. However, despite these signs of success, several key sectors (groundnut oil, fertiliser production) are suffering from management problems and stiff competition from imports.
Senegal enjoys good relations with international donors, and reached HIPC completion point in April 2004, which has since led to debt alleviation measures by bilateral and multilateral donors. Senegal’s IMF negotiated Poverty Reduction and Growth facility loan package expired in April 2006. Senegal is looking to negotiate a non financial monitoring arrangement with the IMF (a Policy Support Instrument).
DEVELOPMENT
Senegal faces serious development challenges. The life expectancy is 56 years at birth and 22% of the population live on less than a dollar a day. There is a wide disparity between the over-crowded capital and the poor and isolated interior. France, the EU, Germany, the US, Japan, China and some Middle Eastern States are major donors. The UK aids Senegal’s development through UN agencies and the European Commission. In addition the British Embassy in Dakar finances a limited number of development micro-projects under the FCO’s Bilateral Fund.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Relations with The Gambia have suffered due to disputes over cross-border access. Relations with Guinea-Bissau have improved since the death of former Junta leader Ansumane Mane in 1999, who was thought to have aided the Casamance rebels. The two countries now cooperate closely in dealing with the Casamance rebels.
Senegal pursues an active foreign policy and aspires to represent Africa on the UN Security Council. While France is a close ally for historical reasons, Senegal has also sought allies as far apart as the Middle East and China, and enjoys good relations with the United States, where a large Senegalese community resides. President Bush included a brief visit to Senegal at the start of his Africa tour in 2003. A number of Senegalese hold high positions in international organisations.
Senegal has a prominent role in Africa. President Wade was instrumental in creating the NEPAD agenda - a plan for the regeneration of the African continent adopted by the African Union in 2001. Although he has criticised it for not doing enough, he remains a key supporter of the project. He has played an important role in promoting that agenda in the wider international community, including at meetings with G8 countries. Senegal has contributed troops to numerous international peacekeeping operations, with significant force presences in Liberia, DR Congo, Darfur and Cote d’Ivoire. Senior Senegalese military are respected across the continent for their role in political and military interventions.
|
|
