Displaced women return to their village in Casamance: Their vulnerability supported by statistics

On this September 21st, International Day of Peace, the Platform of Women for Peace in Casamance (PFPC) held a significant press conference in Ziguinchor. At the podium, its vice-president, Léonie Gomis, delivered a powerful and moving statement, highlighting the realities faced by displaced women returning to their villages after years of forced exile.

Furthermore, studies conducted by the PFPC in ten return villages reveal increased vulnerability among women to gender-based violence. Eighty-three percent of the women interviewed said they did not feel safe, and nearly half had already experienced violence: 34% physical, 17% economic, 18% psychological, and 16% verbal. The causes are multiple: destruction of support networks, land dispossession that deprives women of their autonomy, resettlement sites lacking basic infrastructure, social isolation, and loss of bearings. "Land remains women's last line of defense against extreme poverty," revealed Léonie Gomis, denouncing customary practices that limit their rights to mere usufruct.

The figures speak for themselves: only 27.9% of women have access to healthcare, 27.5% to education, 12.1% to clean water, 4.8% to electricity, and 12.1% to social protection. Even more concerning, 59% of women and girls do not know where to turn to a survivor of violence. Resettlement, far from being a peaceful return, exacerbates vulnerabilities and amplifies pre-existing power imbalances.

Faced with this situation, the PFPC is deploying a proactive strategy. Participatory assessments, feedback sessions with decision-makers, advocacy with authorities, and resilience and economic empowerment programs: these are all initiatives to guarantee sustainable and dignified reintegration. The recommendations are specific: build and equip health posts and maternity wards, install boreholes and electricity networks, rehabilitate roads and schools, secure villages, support women's economic activities, and strengthen their participation in decision-making bodies.

The Women's Platform for Peace in Casamance also calls on technical and financial partners to support the government in financing economic activities, to provide vocational training, and to strengthen community protection mechanisms. It emphasizes the need to promote women's leadership and restore social cohesion.

Beyond the observations, the message is clear: it is about restoring women's status as citizens, moving them from the role of victims receiving aid to that of agents of development and peace. "Women's citizenship is not a post-conflict luxury, but the very driving force behind successful resettlement and lasting peace," concluded Léonie Gomis, vice-president of the Women's Platform for Peace in Casamance.

On this symbolic day, Casamance reminds us that peace is not built solely by the end of weapons, but by the restored dignity of women and their recognized place in society.