Saint-Louis, a historical region and former capital of French West Africa, stands as one of the most vulnerable and exposed areas to climate change. The Saint-Louis region faces numerous threats, ranging from coastal erosion to sea-level rise, compounded by human errors. The onset of gas resource exploitation in the area further intensifies concerns, particularly among the fishermen of the Langue de Barbarie.
Challenge facing the Langue de Barbarie
Covering an area of 2 kilometers in length and 300 meters in width, Saint-Louis, with a geography reminiscent of Venice or New Orleans, has also been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is on the brink of disappearance without the implementation of a dynamic and strategic environmental policy. In sub-Saharan Africa, up to 86 million people are projected to be displaced by climate change by 2050, more than anywhere else on Earth. In Saint-Louis, thousands of individuals have already lost their homes or live in what authorities designate as "very high-risk areas."
Senegalese researchers have found that 80% of the city could be submerged by 2080, resulting in the loss of this famous World Heritage Site known for its architecture and the displacement of 150,000 people. Saint-Louis comprises three main entities: the Sor district, Saint-Louis Island, and the Langue de Barbarie, with the latter epitomizing the region's vulnerability to climate challenges.
According to a study by researcher Djiby Sambou, "the effect of climate change is particularly evident in the Langue de Barbarie, especially since the opening of the breach in 2003, and its corollary of recurrent floods in the city. This breach, initially 4 meters wide, expanded to 5,200 meters in width by February 2015, altering the biophysical characteristics of the area. The lands of Gandiol, a territory just south of Saint-Louis once suitable for vegetable farming, are affected by salinization due to the intrusion of saline water. The villages of Doun Baba Dièye and Keur Bernard have vanished." The opening of this breach was decided in 2003 by the Abdoulaye Wade’s government to combat floods and facilitate fishermen's access to the sea. However, it subsequently proved detrimental to the populations.
An article in The Washington Post highlights that in 2018, Senegal initiated what leaders hailed as a plan to combat the coastal erosion crisis. With World Bank loans totaling $80 million and an additional $13 million from state coffers, the government aimed to relocate Langue de Barbarie residents seven miles inland. However, convincing people to abandon their lands proves to be a significant challenge. Many refuse to leave the places where their parents and grandparents lived before them.
The Fishing Crisis
"Here, fishing is hereditary from father to son. There are 50,000 inhabitants, 30,000 fishermen, and 3,500 pirogues," revealed a resident of Langue de Barbarie in a report by Radio France. Fishing in this area has been in crisis for several years, as in several other fishing towns along the Senegalese coast. Contracts signed by the Senegalese government with foreign vessels have been detrimental, while the majority of fishermen still employ rudimentary and artisanal methods. However, the environment could suffer even more with the exploitation of the Grand Tortue Ahmeyin gas field, located about ten kilometers from the city of Saint-Louis and straddling the Senegal-Mauritania border.
"Coexistence is not possible. We will exploit the gas, we will kill fishing in Saint-Louis. Because Saint-Louis is the fishing capital, the number of vessels in Saint-Louis, the types of fishing in Saint-Louis, do not exist anywhere else. But the fishing zone is very small, practically squeezed between the mouth and the Mauritanian border where coast guards have already killed 19 fishermen because they prohibit access to their waters," said Moustapha Dieng, Secretary-General of the National Autonomous Union of Senegalese Fishermen, speaking to Africanews.
At the civil society level as well, efforts are underway to raise awareness about the economic and environmental consequences of gas exploitation on the populations of Saint-Louis. "No one can deny that the exploitation of resources has and will continue to have impacts on our environment. There will also be social impacts, and when you see these communities living next to where we will exploit the resources, particularly here in Nguet Ndar (a fishing village in Saint-Louis), where there is a community of fishermen, you feel the concerns, you see the contrast between the billions we are told will come from offshore gas exploitation and the poverty you see around you," explained Pape Fara Diallo, president of the "Publish What You Pay" national coalition.
The government prioritizes the exploitation of these sources to bolster industrialization. "The sole exploitation of our hydrocarbons will accelerate access to electricity for the population and, above all, reduce production costs and encourage industrialization," stated Sophie Gladima, Senegal's Minister of Energy and Petroleum. However, authorities are also seeking accompanying measures to ensure that populations benefit more from these projects. BP, one of the state's partners in this project, asserts that over 3,000 jobs have been created in Senegal and Mauritania across some 350 local companies.
However, at the population level, the positive impacts of gas exploitation are slow to materialize. The drastic consequences are already being felt, and the testimonies are chilling. In a report by Africanews, four women who shared their stories stated that they had resorted to prostitution because their husbands, all fishermen, could no longer earn a living since the gas market arrived in town and the platform restricted access to fertile fishing zones, locally known as diattara. All the women stated that they knew several others in the same situation.
"I pray for this to stop because it's not what I want to do from the bottom of my heart. I do it for my children," declared one mother to AP, her shoulders slumped and her voice weary, in a hotel room where she would be seen by neither her husband nor her friends...
Reference:
Changement climatique : au Sénégal, Saint-Louis prend l’eau - https://www.jeuneafrique.com/mag/286224/societe/changement-climatique-senegal-saint-louis-prend-leau/
Changement climatique : l'avertissement venu de Saint-Louis du Sénégal - https://www.lepoint.fr/afrique/changement-climatique-l-avertissement-venu-de-saint-louis-du-senegal-23-09-2020-2393320_3826.php
She lost her house to the rising sea. Nowhere else feels like home - https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2022/senegal-climate-refugee-crisis/
Senegal’s Lessons: What an Old City in West Africa Teaches About Rising Waters - https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/senegals-lessons-what-old-city-west-africa-teaches-about-rising-waters
Au Sénégal, Saint-Louis peut-elle être sauvée des eaux ? https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/podcasts/le-zoom-de-la-redaction/le-zoom-de-la-redaction-du-mercredi-02-novembre-2022-6176634
Sénégal : à Saint-Louis, le projet gazier et le désespoir des pêcheurs - https://fr.africanews.com/2023/04/14/senegal-a-saint-louis-le-projet-gazier-et-le-desespoir-des-pecheurs//
Sénégal : la pêche menacée par le gaz à Saint-Louis - https://fr.africanews.com/2022/10/17/senegal-la-peche-menacee-par-le-gaz-a-saint-louis//