By Cheikh Camara – Environmentalists, youth associations, women’s groups and small market gardeners are voicing their exasperation to denounce the degradation of their locality’s environment by the mining company. They are particularly outraged by the dumping of toxic products in public spaces, which is causing numerous illnesses – especially lung diseases – and are demanding the return of their land that has already been mined.

A general mobilisation of the community’s driving forces

Mamadou Diallo, president of the “Garab-Gui” movement, Déthié Diop, vice-president of the Union of Market Gardeners of the commune of Méouane, and Magore Kane, mayor of Darou Khoudoss, joined all the locality’s driving forces in expressing their indignation at the conduct of the Ics.

This general mobilisation heralds an inevitable showdown between the municipality, the residents and the company, centred essentially on land management and the health consequences of mining. Backed by the town’s mayor, the residents describe their situation as an “environmental hell” and denounce an outright grab of their land.

The residents’ grievances: land and health

The conflict revolves around two main issues. The mayor and residents directly accuse the Ics of seeking to extend their mining footprint excessively. The company is targeting land belonging to the National Domain, originally allocated by the municipality and reserved for residential use by local inhabitants. As for the health and environmental peril, residents denounce the destructive impact of industrial activity on their daily lives, citing an upsurge in lung diseases directly linked to the fumes and toxic dust from the plant.

cheikhcamara@lequotidien.sn