The people of the village of Kaourou, in the department of Bakel, in the commune of Sadatou to be precise, are fed up with the continuing destruction of the Falémé by artisanal gold miners based in Mali.The Chinese living next to the river on the other side of Mali have paid the price.This Saturday, they saw their machine completely burnt down by the furious locals.The populations say they had reached their limit of tolerance.« We will ensure, whatever the cost, that the river is protected », they insisted.

A Chinese vehicle was attacked by angry locals. They set fire to it without batting an eyelid. The reason, explain the locals, was that the artisanal gold miners, based on the Mali side of the border, had finished polluting the waters of the Falémé, the main source of water in the area. Confused, they attacked the machine they found on the banks of the river. They burnt it to the ground.

One of the youth leaders we met explained the sudden outburst of anger: « At this time of year, the water in the river diminishes considerably, especially on the Malian side of the river. As a result, the Chinese operators, based on the Mali side, move to the Senegal side to dredge the water from the river towards Mali, so that they can continue their activities. We will never accept this, because the river is our only resource.

He adds: « Worse still, they have polluted the water, which has become unusable, with their toxic products. For humans, animals and plants alike. As a result of all this, we have always forbidden them access to the river and we have threatened to crack down if they don’t stop. The gendarmerie authorities were even called in to see the situation for themselves. Meetings were also held to try and bring them to their senses, but to no avail. On Saturday, the young people found the machine in the middle of the river, digging a furrow to dredge the water. This came after a series of conciliatory talks that failed to yield any results.

« We asked them to stop and remove the machine, but to no avail. It was when the mechanic tried to hit the young people with his machine that he unleashed a collective fury. The people went wild and wanted to make a feast of him. Fortunately, he had already left, leaving the engine behind him », says one of those involved in the revolt. However, » he continued, « this attack is just a warning to anyone who tries to endanger the river in the future. We will never again let anyone attack the river. The Falémé will not die without our corpses being stepped on. And the state must assume its responsibilities in the face of such a situation, before the irreparable happens », warned this youth leader.

It’s just worth pointing out that in this region, no river-related activity is possible any more. There are no fish left in the river. Cattle no longer drink from it, gardeners no longer dare to use the water to water their plants, and the inhabitants no longer wash in it. « All because of water pollution. This calls for an urgent reaction from the state, otherwise the Falémé will die a natural death », say the young people of these localities, deprived of a source of income.

By Abdoulaye FALL / afall@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH