Country: Senegal

Group: Diola/Jiola

Date Finalized: 4/12/2020

Team: Arisha Khan (lead), Kimberly Prete, Alicia Hernandez

Diola people, making up 9 percent of Senegal, live in Casamance region which is the Southern region of Senegal. They are predominantly Christian in a majority Muslim country. In the 17th century, the Diola were sold into slavery, and during those times, the Diola were also forced to accept multiple religions and faiths. From the 1960’s, several movements have taken place for the independence of Casamance from Senegal. The Diola in Casamance have stated that they have been neglected by the Senegalese government since most of the support from the government goes to urban areas. This lack of support resulted in the Casamance southern conflict which erupted in 2004 (IRBC, 2005). The sparks of violence have displaced many people and damaged families’ economic and social prospects. The people usually have been displaced to Gambia. Additionally, due to untended fields and presence of salinized water, the people living in this region can’t adequately support themselves or maintain their traditional livelihoods (Minority Rights, n.d.).  We give this a data quality score of 3 because of the credible information present on this conflict.

Sources

  1. Minority Rights Group (n.d.) Diola (Jola). Retrieved April 5, 2020, from https://minorityrights.org/minorities/diola-jola/
  2. Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRBC) (2005). Situation of the Diola in Dakar; their treatment by the authorities and by the population, specifically in the case of a Muslim Diola woman born in Kaolack to Casamance parents (update to SEN29180.E of 30 April 1998) (2003-2004).