Peace pact raises hope in Senegal

As government and rebel leaders were gathering to sign a peace accord in Ziguinchor to end one of Africa’s longest civil conflicts, people in other parts of Casamance, Senegal’s southernmost region, were already experiencing the fruits of peace. With financing from the government, World Bank and other donors, some 35 kilometres of rural roads had been built over the past two years to 10 remote communities. Among a score of completed school projects, a new teachers’ college opened in Nyassa in September, along with a health clinic and a textiles and clothing manufacturing centre. In nearby Youtou, work has begun on a community cultural centre. In the village of Mpack — once on the front lines of the war — a new marketplace has been built.