Global Overview 2014: people internally displaced by conflict and violence - Senegal
| Publisher | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC) |
| Publication Date | 14 May 2014 |
| Cite as | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC), Global Overview 2014: people internally displaced by conflict and violence - Senegal, 14 May 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/53747472d.html [accessed 4 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
| Number of IDPs | Up to 24,000 |
| Percentage of total population | About 0.3% |
| Start of displacement situation | 1982 |
| Peak number of IDPs (year) | 70,000 (2007) |
| New displacement in 2013 | 0 |
| Causes of displacement | ✓ Armed conflict ✓ Generalised violence x Human rights violations |
| Human development index | 154 |
| Kampala Convention | Signed |
Sporadic clashes between the Senegalese army and the separatist Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) reduced in number and intensity during 2013. No comprehensive data is available, but figures from 2010, the most recent available, placed the number of IDPs at 24,000. No new displacements were reported.
Displacement has tended to follow a pendular pattern, with people sheltering near their homes and returning when clashes subside on a daily, weekly or seasonal basis. Limited access to land, basic services and livelihoods prevent IDPs and returnees from achieving durable solutions.
Demining activities increased in 2013, but landmines continued to put returnees and wider communities at risk of death and injury. Poor economic and education prospects were also said to have disempowered many young men, leaving them susceptible to recruitment into gangs.
The Community of Sant'Egidio, a Catholic lay organisation, has been mediating between the government and MFDC since 2012. Renewed talks in November 2013 led to the drafting of a common agenda for further negotiations.
The international response to displacement focused on development and conflict resolution initiatives, sometimes at the expense of IDPs' more urgent humanitarian needs. ICRC provided aid and restored some water and health care infrastructure, and the government provided financial help and livelihood training in Kolda region.
As of the end of 2013, Senegal had signed but was still to ratify the Kampala Convention.
