Lac Rose: Postal workers demand the lifting of blockades on their premises

Tensions are rising over land plots in the Lac Rose area. Members of the "And Tabax Kër" Housing Cooperative (CHATAK), which represents postal workers in Senegal, held their fourth protest march. The demonstration culminated in an attempt to submit a memorandum to the prefect of the Rufisque department, following a march that began at the National Postal School.

At the heart of the grievance expressed by Saliou Gningue, administrative secretary of the cooperative, are two major state projects: the extension of the Northern Relief Road (VDN) and the development of the urban center of Lac Rose.

According to representatives of CHATAK, these projects, declared to be of public utility by decree several years ago (notably a decree signed on January 22, 2022, for the VDN), are now null and void. Since the law stipulates a maximum period of three years for expropriations or compensation of landowners holding title deeds, the cooperative believes that the current blockages no longer have any legal basis.

“We are suffering so much from this situation that we cannot enjoy our property. Today, we want these obstacles to be lifted so that we can have access to our land,” insisted Saliou Gningue.

A major social harm for more than 500 households

The cooperative members point out that they invested their life savings – “more than 15 years of contributions – to acquire and develop these plots of land.” Today, administrative processes such as land transfers, sales, and individual constructions are completely frozen.

In addition to the situation of postal workers, the cooperative is raising the alarm about the overall impact of the management of the urban center of Lac Rose, which encompasses an estimated area of 70,000 hectares and directly threatens the land base of several riverside villages, including Niague.

Faced with the lack of concrete response to letters addressed to the territorial administration, CHATAK demands the immediate removal of the markers and markings placed on the ground by Ageroute and threatens to remove them itself.

Lamenting the lack of interlocutors during their visit to the prefecture, the union members and cooperative members directly appealed to members of the government, including the Ministries of Budget, Infrastructure and Urban Planning, as well as the General Directorate of Ageroute.

The Secretary General sent a solemn message to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, asking him to personally take charge of this land issue to guarantee respect for workers' rights and definitively unblock their housing titles.