Idrissa Benjamin Sané de Kiiraay sur les fonds destinés à la Casamance : « Ousmane Sonko doit rendre compte »
The challenge is direct and to the point. Idrissa Benjamin Sané, a journalist and communications specialist, and a member of the Kiiraay party in Ziguinchor, demands clear explanations regarding the use of resources mobilized in the name of Casamance. According to him, this is not simply a matter of financial management, but a question of political and moral credibility.
Casamance, scarred by decades of conflict, cannot be reduced to an electoral slogan or a tool for legitimizing the country. Every franc raised must be used for its reconstruction, its opening up, and the consolidation of peace.
During the infamous "tera-meeting," Ousmane Sonko, then Prime Minister, denied having a slush fund, threatening legal action against anyone who claimed otherwise. However, it is acknowledged that specific funds, separate from the budget of the National Agency for the Revival of Economic and Social Activities in Casamance (ANRAC), were allocated to him to support the peace process. These resources were intended to facilitate the return of displaced persons, support their resettlement, and finance essential social infrastructure: schools, health posts, boreholes, and access roads. The question then arises: how were these funds actually used?
Idrissa Sané points out that Ousmane Sonko participated in the signing of peace agreements in Guinea-Bissau involving a faction of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC). If some of the funds were used to support the disarmament and reintegration of combatants, this would have constituted a legitimate use of the funds. However, in the absence of official communication, doubts persist. This is especially true given that ANRAC, intended to be the operational arm of the peace process, remains weakened, lacking a proper institutional headquarters in Ziguinchor, operating from rented premises, and insufficiently funded. According to Sané, allocating some of the resources to the construction of this headquarters or to strengthening the agency's operational capacities would have been a sound investment, not an act of misappropriation.
Even more serious, it is alleged that funds intended for Casamance were used to renovate the administrative building in Dakar. Such an allocation, if proven, demands a clear justification. How can a rehabilitation project in the capital be equated with funds meant to rebuild a devastated region? For Sané, this type of contradiction fosters opacity and undermines public trust.
The journalist and communications expert insists: the truth must be established, the amounts specified, the expenses traced, and those responsible assumed. Governing, he says, is not just about denouncing past practices, but about accepting the responsibility to respond in real time to the demands that were once imposed on others. Casamance bears the wounds of a long-standing conflict and the expectations of displaced populations. It deserves transparency, justice, and respect. If the funds were misappropriated, the act would be politically indefensible and morally unacceptable. Ousmane Sonko, who claims to be committed to Casamance, must now prove it through actions and a clear accounting.
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