Bomb disposal experts comb senegalese village for explosives

Since June 2, the team from Handicap International has been combing the village of Singhere, about 50 kilometres from Ziguinchor, in search of hidden mines,  to allow the population to have access to this track which links two villages.

The majority of the population have abandoned their land due to the crisis that has long affected this area of southern Senegal.

These security lines indicate that we are in a forbidden zone, as there are dozens of them in Casamance. And this team of mine-clearing experts is searching the ground inch by inch for explosive devices. 

Here, in fact, every centimetre excavated is a victory for the team, a ray of hope for the inhabitants of the village. Since the death of one of them, the people of Singhere have been living in constant fear... without access to a large part of their land, their main source of income.

"The presence of the bomb disposal experts reassures us a little more because since our return from exile, we have been haunted by the presence of the mines we found there. The army came and was able to defuse some of them but since there was an accident, the fear is still there. No one can move around as they want, even to go to the fields, they can't."says an inhabitant.

Thousands of other villagers are experiencing the same situation in Casamance. At the same time, the National Mine Action Centre is facing major financial difficulties. This is slowing down demining operations in the region.