From exile to hope: in Bissine, women are taking charge of their village's rebirth

After more than thirty years of forced displacement due to the conflict in Casamance, the people of Bissine, in the municipality of Adéane, are gradually rebuilding their village. To support this return, a processing unit has been provided to the women thanks to the support of the Ziguinchor Regional Development Agency (ARD), the Catalan government, and several partners. This infrastructure offers hope to these women committed to the economic recovery of their community.

In Bissine, the time for painful memories of exile is over; now is the time for reconstruction. In this village in the Niaguis district, long deserted because of the conflict in Casamance, the people are gradually returning to their land with the firm intention of rebuilding their lives.

This momentum has reached a new stage with the inauguration of a processing unit for the women of the village. For the beneficiaries, this facility represents a genuine working tool that will allow them to better market local products and develop income-generating activities.

Representing the village chief, Ismëla Manga recalled the suffering endured by these women forced to leave their homeland. "Losing one's home is not just losing a roof over one's head; it's also losing one's bearings and a part of one's dignity," he emphasized. For him, this infrastructure is a powerful symbol of the courage and resilience of the women of Bissine who, despite the hardships, never stopped hoping for better days.

The president of the women's economic interest group (GIE), Awa Sagna, sees this project as an opportunity to sustainably transform women's working conditions. She explained that the beneficiaries have significant local resources such as mangoes and madd (a type of dried fruit), but still lack storage and processing equipment. "Before, we worked in difficult conditions. Today, we have a space where we can produce and store our products in better conditions," she stated, while calling on partners to continue their support.

The mayor of Adéane, Arona Sonko, recalled the long road traveled by the people of Bissine. Abandoned in October 1992 due to insecurity, the village only began to see its inhabitants return in 2022, thanks to the gradual return of peace. According to him, the support provided to women is essential to consolidating this resettlement process and fostering local economic development.

The Ziguinchor Regional Development Agency played a key role in bringing the project to fruition. Its director, Bakary Sonko, stated that the building's construction fulfills a demand expressed by the women themselves. Costing approximately 10 million CFA francs, the facility will allow dozens of women to work in improved conditions of hygiene, safety, and productivity.

Present at the ceremony, the delegate of the Government of Catalonia in West Africa, Anna Rosés i Belló, reaffirmed her institution's commitment to supporting women affected by the conflict in order to strengthen their economic autonomy and their reintegration into their communities of origin.

For Idy Gomel Ba, deputy sub-prefect of Niaguis, this achievement represents a major encouragement for the women of Bissine. He praised an initiative that values their work and offers them new opportunities in a village undergoing reconstruction.

Beyond the infrastructure, a whole symbol now stands at the heart of Bissine: that of a community that refuses to give in to the past and that relies on the work of women to build a more serene, more dignified and more prosperous future.

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