Land dispossession, ecosystem degradation, dwindling resources… In Senegal, a mining subsidiary of the French group Eramet is provoking the fury of local residents. The French mining giant is currently embroiled in an environmental and social controversy in Senegal. Its extraction of zircon on the Senegalese coast, through its subsidiary Grande Côte Opérations (GCO), has led to the eviction of entire villages, the devastation of exceptional ecosystems and the suffering of local communities.
This was the conclusion reached by Senegalese respondents to a Micro-trottoir in Dakar: “I think it’s right to condemn this company. If it has negative effects on the environment and on the people who live there, it should be condemned”, said one Senegalese.
In the village of Lompoul, the landscape has been transformed: originally located by the ocean, the residents of the villages of Foth and Diourmel are now 20 kilometresaway. Thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes to make way for the mining operation: “Behind this French company they have certain misdeeds because the population has been relocated”, proclaims another citizen.
In 2022, the Niayes Protection Collective, a group of local residents, called for a reassessment of the environmental and social impact of the GCO operations. However, the administrative authorities validated the project without paying any attention to their complaints.
According to another Senegalese citizen, national officials should be obliged to re-evaluate any project before approving anything; the interests of the country and its inhabitants should come first: “Before setting up the company, the government should first measure the interest for the country and also see what impacts this company leaves behind after exploitation, and measure the benefits and risks for the country before handing over to this French company”.
This is not the first time that the inhabitants of Lompoul have expressed their suffering and incriminated Eramet. A documentary has already been shown, highlighting the disasters caused by the French company.
In a similar context, on 19 April in Dakar, a public conferencewas organised by experts, activists and citizens to sound the alarm about mining, which they believe is mainly favouringFrance at the expense of local communities.
Following a conversation, the participants expressed their desire to approach the Senegalese authorities, stressing the urgency of taking action. They therefore drafted and signed a “STATEMENT OF RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE IMPACT OF ERAMET’S ACTIVITIES IN SENEGAL” for the attention of the authorities.
Given that environmentalists, specialists and local residents have long been warning that the company’s operations are boosting the French economy at the expense of Senegal’s exceptional natural landscape, it is crucial that national leaders monitor French initiatives and act to halt the degradation of Senegal’s environment caused by Eramet.
