Ferry trip stirs hope, painful memories

As the Wilis sailed out of the Senegalese capital Dakar last weekend, the sense of conflicting emotions was palpable. The inaugural journey was a painful reminder of the night three years ago when the ship’s predecessor, the Joola, sank off the coast of Gambia, killing over 1,800 people – more than on the Titanic. These memories remain so strong that they influenced the trajectory of the Wilis as it travelled toward Ziguinchor in Senegal’s southern Casamace region. “Orders have been given out of respect to go around the site of the Joola’s sinking,” said Noureddine El Mellouki, the director of the joint Senegalo-Moroccan Atlantic Maritime Company (SOMAT) which runs the ferry. At the same time, there were feelings of renewal and hope for the future as the Wilis re-established the service, interrupted since 26 September 2002, which is touted as essential to opening up a southern region cut off from the rest of the country by Gambia. The two neighbouring countries, despite the strong similarities of their populations have a history of stormy relations and Senegal is uncomfortable with depending on Gambia’s goodwill for people and goods to flow between its north and south. “Our first priority is the continuity of Senegalese territory and opening up Casamance,” El Mellouki told the audience at a press conference held onboard the Wilis. At the same time, he hammered home his message of a break with the past and the poor safety measures that had led to the sinking of an overloaded Joola under-equipped in lifeboats and lifejackets. A troubled region The loss of the Joola and the ensuing spate of recriminations and sackings, including that of the prime minister, brought a sudden end to the political honeymoon Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade had enjoyed since his historic victory in the 2000 presidential elections. Wade defeated the party that had ruled since independence thanks to a long list of campaign promises, including his vow to find a solution to the separatist rebellion that has simmered in Casamance since the early 1980s. The low-level conflict has drawn on the area’s ethnic and religious distinctness, as well as its geographic isolation, from the country’s north. The result has been an estimated 3,000 - 5,000 lives lost and tens of thousands of people forced from their homes. A peace accord was signed with the rebel Casamance Movement of Democratic Forces (MFDC) late last year but many of the region’s inhabitants are not yet convinced that the conflict is well and truly over. “The conflict is not 100% settled,” said Cecile Diatta, a human rights activist in Ziguinchor, adding that the region was currently in a no-peace-no-war predicament. “There are still smouldering embers that could flare up again.”

Passengers on the Wilis

The most recent incident occurred last month when the government temporarily shut down the Sud FM radio station and detained its Dakar and Ziguinchor staff following the broadcast of an interview with a rebel leader in which he vowed to continue fighting for Casamance’s independence. “We won’t be able to talk about development in Casamance without ending the rebellion. That is the absolutely essential precondition,” according to a Wilis passenger who would not give his name but said he had fought for the Senegalese army in the region in the late 1980s. “But it won’t be easy.” And yet on Saturday, the same day that the Wilis completed its first commercial trip to Ziguinchor, boys and men of all ages hovered around electronics shops or any place with a television so they could take in a football match between Senegal and South Africa. Cheers resonated in the streets as the West African team triumphed on a late goal, suggesting that separatist sentiments are far from universal in the area. These celebrations were no doubt music to the ears of the former commando whose affection for Casamance is obvious. “It’s a wonderful part of the country. Even when I was fighting here, I thought it was magnificent,” said the retired soldier, watching the view unfold as the Wilis travelled down the Casamance River on the final stretch to Ziguinchor. “When I look at how beautiful it is, I understand why people are willing to die for it.” Right idea but… Given the poor treatment Senegalese citizens say they receive when going through Gambia and the terrible road conditions they face when going around it, the need for a new boat to link Casamance to the capital is recognised even by those who were hit the hardest by the Joola’s sinking. “It doesn’t make sense that, because we lost our children, there shouldn’t be a replacement for the Joola,” said Dominique Sagna, sitting with his wife on their sofa in front of framed photographs of the son and two daughters, all in their early twenties, who died in the accident. “We need a boat because we’re cut off from the rest of the country.” All three children were university students who had come back to Ziguinchor for a visit but decided, because of the difficult roads and the lack of security in the region, to return by boat. For two of them, it was the first time. “So you see, it was destiny,” he said with a breaking voice, adding that neither he nor his wife blame anyone for their loss.

Dominique Sagna, sitting with his wife on their sofa in Ziguinchor in front of framed photographs of their three children that died on the Joola

But not everyone in this poor section of a poor country is convinced that the Wilis, which is only meant as a two-year stopgap until a new boat is built, will be up to the job. “It’s a nice boat, it’s clean and safe because of all the security,” said Sophie Badiane sitting next to the vegetable stall near Ziguinchor’s port where she has peddled her wares for the last quarter century. “But it’s very expensive. It’s not made for merchants. It’s made for tourists.” For this woman who came to Ziguinchor as a girl in 1956, the 20,000 CFA francs (about US $35) price tag on a return ticket to Dakar is too steep given the new weight limits imposed by the safety-conscious ferry operator. “For 20 kg of vegetables, that’s just not profitable,” Badiane said. “We want another boat that’ll take our products and won’t cost so much.” The Joola had three times the weight capacity and tickets were a third of the price of the cheapest return available on the Wilis. And while the government is making noises about a second ship meant specifically for transporting goods, it will not give any timeframe. “The Joola, even though it carried passengers, was primarily a way for the region’s poor people to move their products and so, it improved local living conditions,” according to Abdoulaye Sambou, a journalist at Ziguinchor’s RFM radio station. “The launch of the Wilis is a first step toward opening Casamance up but if the boat is not within everyone’s price range, the problem is only half solved,” he said. Whether because of ticket prices, weight limits or fears of another disaster, people did not jump at the first chance to travel along the restored route. On both legs of the journey, there were fewer than 100 paying passengers on a ship that can accommodate well over 400.