TRANSPORT-SENEGAL: Relatives of Ferry Disaster Marching in Memory

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Chris Simpson

DAKAR, Dec 17 2002 (IPS) - When the news broke in Dakar in September that the Joola passenger ferry had capsized on its voyage from Ziguinchor hundreds of families and friends of those on board went down to the port to look for information and to pray.

Nearly three months later, Christians and Muslims prayed side by side at the quayside, still desperate for answers, still trying to take in a tragedy which has had a devastating impact on Senegal.

The prayers came as part of a demonstration organised by the Co-ordination Collective of Families of Victims of the Joola (CCFV), the umbrella organisation, which has demanded information, explanations and government action.

Despite being involved in the Commission of Enquiry set up by the government, which published its findings in early November, the CCFV says the state has kept it at arms length, while reneging on its own promises to help victims and sanction those believed to be responsible for the shipwreck.

Relations between the government and the CCFV hit a new low after the march on Dec 14 as demonstrators trying to move towards the presidential palace were blocked by anti-riot police. Tear gas was used, 11 arrests were made and there were several injuries.

Ibrahima Cisse, one of the CCFV leaders who was briefly detained, said the police had completely misjudged the situation. ‘’We are very disappointed by the barbarity and brutality the police showed,” said Cisse. ‘’We had given four days notice to the authorities and gone through all the right channels.”

Cisse acknowledged there had been a rupture between the state and the victims’ families, but said the CCFV wanted a dialogue and had confidence in President Abdoulaye Wade. ‘’The President has shown his good faith and his good will in the past. It would be dishonest to say otherwise. But what upsets us is the gap between what he has said and the absence of decisions taken as a result of those commitments. There have been lots of words, but nothing concrete.”

CCFV demonstrators carried banners representing a string of grievances and complaints. ‘’Compensation: a right, not an act of charity”, ‘’Orphans of the Joola: tell us how your parents died”, ‘’Why is our Parliament silent?”

The loss of the Joola and its aftermath have dominated public life for close to three months. The first government casualties were Minister of Transport, Youssoph Sakho, and the Minister of Armed Forces, Youba Sambou, who both resigned as their respective ministries issued contradictory reports on the origins of the shipwreck.

Many observers believe the sacking of Prime Minister Mame Madior Boye in November was due in part to her poor handling of the shipwreck, issuing inaccurate casualty figures and pre-empting the findings of an investigation by blaming the weather. Boye’s replacement, Idrissa Seck, talked immediately of the need to cope with the legacy of the Joola and the need to avoid the mistakes, which had led to the tragedy.

But the government has continued to face severe criticism for its actions. Seck’s appointment coincided with the release of the report by the Commission of Enquiry set up under state ‘Mediator’ Seydou Madani Sy, which offered a detailed critique of safety procedures on board the Joola and the late response of navy and air service to the shipwreck. This prompted allegations of state-led attempt ‘’to bury the truth”.

Interior Minister, Mamadou Niang, who has been the government’s main spokesperson on the Joola, has promised that compensation will be paid to all those who lost family on the ferry.

At a news conference given on the eve of the CCFV march, Niang said the government had also given assistance to survivors and was looking to secure grants for six student survivors to study abroad. Niang has also highlighted the welfare initiatives and psychological support made available to both survivors and victims’ families.

But such measures have been judged completely inadequate by the families. Guy Arice Ndouye of the CCFV has pointed out that compensation paid so far in relation to the Joola is negligible when compared with the emergency payments made after torrential rains caused a huge loss of livestock and property in northern Senegal in January.

Other complaints include: the late release of death certificates; the continuing confusion over casualty figures (CCFV campaigners suggest the final death toll is over 1500, considerably more than official estimates); the retention in key posts of military personnel accused of culpability, and the failure to provide an alternative ferry service for Casamance.

The vast majority of those on board the Joola came from Casamance in the south. The ferry had been brought back into service after a 13-month gap and passengers included hundreds of small traders, the ‘Bana Bana’, bringing produce up to Dakar, and a large number of students.

‘’I lost many friends and I am not satisfied,” said Casamancais student Mamadou Lamine Cisse. ‘’Nothing has been done. They haven’t even brought the boat out of the water.”

Ibrahima Cisse of the CCFV says his organisation is ready to hold demonstrations, stage sit-ins and do whatever else it thinks necessary to push the state into action. Cisse says the families face intolerable burdens, particularly at this time of year. ‘’Imagine when it’s Christmas and you don’t have your children there to celebrate it with you. I haven’t got words to describe what people are going through.”