Municipality of Sédhiou: Precarious daily life in the Moricounda 2 district

Located on the edge of the rice fields of the village of Bakoum, the Moricounda 2 district which extends to the Marsassoum road, almost reflects the image of a ghetto. Dominated by precarious housing, by the absence of regulated passages, of drinking water, the populations of this district of the commune of Sédhiou deplore the absence of equity.

SÉDHIOU – Standing at the edge of his house, Sambou Sagna, looking thoughtful, carefully observes the walls of his well, more than ten meters deep. Walking through the makeshift fence of his home, he stops at times, for a few minutes, trying to adjust the stakes which have given way under the effect of the last winter. With a firm face and few words, Sambou Sagna, who has settled in Moricounda 2, a working-class neighborhood in the commune of Sédhiou, for five years now, is in reality disappointed and discouraged. The widening of the canal which took away part of his plot haunts his sleep. This man, who fears losing his house one day, is increasing his initiatives by laying sandbags, tree trunks, rubble, to mitigate the force of the water, and facilitate the movement of children and women who pass in front of his gate to go to school or the market.

Interrupted paths In the mind of this fifty-year-old, all means are good to restore the interrupted passages. “Look, pointing, I had put a lot of sand, and built a solid slab, just to preserve my well, but this effort was in vain. Everything is gone. We will have to start everything from scratch,” he says, looking sad. A little further, in the center of the homes, it is also time to restore the roads intersected by the drainage of rainwater. Young people take over difficult-to-access areas, erecting small pontoons. Tricycles, wheelbarrows and carts are mobilized to collect the sand and join the passages cut in two. “Here, people have to go all the way around to get to the other side of the neighborhood. A precarious solution had to be found quickly. This is why we mobilized to fill in the cut part,” summarizes Malang Dakhaba, a young mason at the heart of this initiative.

Having given his agreement for a Koran recital among the neighbors, Ibrahima Cissé took care to apologize to share his feelings about the daily life of the populations. Elected district delegate of Moricounda 2, five years ago now, the notable has several times witnessed unfortunate events in this district where movement is almost impossible at night, both during the winter and in the dry season. Ibrahima Cissé remembers the difficult conditions in which the body of an old man was transferred to the hospital at night, when he had just died. “It was during the winter period, we had to leave the body at the morgue of the regional hospital. We carried the deceased staggering through the water and mud to reach the road, and put him in the vehicle. All this, because there is no possibility for ambulances to cross the road to go down into the neighborhood,” he says. Néné Guissé is one of the women’s voices in the Moricounda 2 district. Active, driven by the desire to work for the well-being of the inhabitants, this “Badiénou Gox” (neighborhood godmother) who was committed to raising awareness among women about child vaccinations, has transformed into a matron over the years. In Moricounda 2, cases of home births have not decreased.

A situation favored by the refusal of vehicles to access the area. Néné Guissé even encountered a doctor who deplored home births. “He did not understand the ordeal we are going through here. No road, no vehicle, it’s our hard daily life,” she says. This year, she noted three cases of home births. “In most cases, we try to negotiate taxis, but they refuse. It goes quickly sometimes. Often, I have to put the newborn in a basin to take him to the hospital,” says Néné, her voice full of energy. Hope for an alignment “A week ago, a lady gave birth at home,” adds Mariama Diémé, resident of Moricounda and teacher at school 8 in the locality. The vehicles requested did not want to attempt the journey for fear of finding themselves stuck. “It’s difficult to live in Moricounda. Motorcycle taxis boycott us during the rainy season. Women walk to go to the market. The earth is clayey. It’s difficult to move,” the teacher fumes. Residents don’t want to be stuck because of planning issues. In this neighborhood, where no planning was established beforehand, we are trying to catch up. The notables, young people, women and religious people came together to align the houses. “It’s a start to relieve the populations. We are waiting for the surveyor to arrive to take stock,” says Ibrahima Cissé impatiently, assuring, at the same time, that just for the moment, two houses will have to be razed. The future alignment plan nourishes hope among certain households. If the process of electrification and connection of the water supply network is interrupted for lack of a clear roadmap, Malang Dakhaba hopes that this sketch, once validated, will be a starting point to improve the experience of the citizens of this periphery. Same story for Sambou Sagna.

“I know very well that danger surrounds my children. I raised the alarm, I invited the media to make my voice heard. I also opened up to the neighborhood chief so that a solution could be found, even if only for basic social services such as roads, water or even electricity, but it is still the status quo,” he complains. The alignment work on the ground was done recently. The selected surveyor, a few weeks earlier, had carried out the mapping of the premises. In Moricounda 2, residents are eager to see the new development plan. An administrative map that is certainly important, but far from the reality of this district which is in greater need of concrete actions to offer populations a good living environment.