Casamance still bears the scars of an ancient conflict that has never fully healed. The signing of the peace agreement on 23 February 2025 between the government and the Mouvement des forces démocratiques de Casamance (Movement of Democratic Forces in Casamance, MFDC) was a historic turning point, but it was not enough to erase the latent danger. Thousands of hectares of forest, fields and rural tracks remain contaminated by landmines and other explosive remnants of war. For displaced populations dreaming of returning home, every step can still be synonymous with a threat.
Restoring links between villages
HI carries out decontamination operations in areas where families are returning after being forced into exile for more than thirty years. One emblematic operation is underway on a track linking the villages of Badem and Bougnack, five kilometres apart. This route, abandoned for years for fear of mines, is now almost completely safe. More than 17 mines and numerous explosive remnants have been neutralised. Thanks to this action, around 1,600 inhabitants of Badem have been able to return to their village, resume their activities, return to their fields and reconnect with their roots. The people of Bougnack, in turn, are waiting for the threat to be completely lifted.
But HI's action does not stop at decontamination. It provides practical support for the return of displaced populations, working to prevent land conflicts, rebuild the community fabric and support local economic initiatives. For example, HI facilitates the identification and inclusive management of released land, access to resources for women and people with disabilities, and the relaunch of collective farming activities. The aim is to create the conditions for a peaceful, equitable and sustainable return, in which everyone has a place in the reconstruction process.
When the earth still hides traps
The danger is not confined to the main tracks: in Boutoute, a young man who had returned to settle down uncovered two explosive devices while turning over the soil in his vegetable garden. He immediately alerted the Association Sénégalaise des Victimes de Mines (Senegalese Association of Mine Victims, ISAD/ASVM). In coordination with the Centre National d'Action contre les Mines (National Mine Action Centre), HI intervened to neutralise the devices, located just a few metres from the village school. This operation was followed by a community awareness session to explain the risks associated with explosive devices and the precautionary measures to adopt in the event of a threat.
A future to build
Today, demining activities and support for the return of inhabitants are part of a much broader challenge: to relaunch rural life, secure access to land, support agriculture, restore essential services and prevent latent tensions from resurfacing. It's in-depth, meticulous work at the crossroads of security, development and social cohesion.
HI is pursuing this demanding mission: each mine removed from the ground is a promise of a harvest, a return to school and a return to peace. The reconstruction of Casamance begins there, in the liberated land, in the return of families, and in the hope, at last tangible, of a common future and real development.
