In Tivaouane Peulh, land disputes are far from being a thing of the past. Residents of the Diawara neighborhood are taking a stand to denounce what they describe as the land grabbing of 30 hectares by real estate developer Mountaga Kane, who allegedly plans to demolish already inhabited houses in order to build a housing complex.

At a press conference this Thursday, January 22nd in the town, residents expressed their anger at a situation that has lasted for more than a decade.

A neighborhood that was inhabited before the lease was awarded

According to Fassouri Diawara, delegate of the Diawara district, the latter has existed since 2010 and was officially recognized in 2012. However, he claims, a developer came as early as 2011, brandishing a lease for 30 hectares covering an area already occupied by populations.

"The area was already inhabited. To our great surprise, a developer named Mountaga Kane came to tell us that he had a lease on 30 hectares. Nobody expected it," he testifies.

Despite the actual occupation of the premises, the developer allegedly persisted in his project, going so far as to destroy part of the dwellings on approximately 4 hectares, according to the residents.

Unanimous opposition from the administration and the population

Faced with this situation, the local population has taken numerous steps, even going so far as to appeal to the President of the Republic. A meeting chaired by the sub-prefect, with representatives from the relevant administrative services present, reportedly allowed for a review of the situation.

"The entire administration and the entire population were against this project, because the neighborhood is already inhabited and the people were never consulted," argues Fassouri Diawara.

Residents are particularly concerned about compliance with legal procedures, such as public inquiry reports, which are supposed to precede the granting of a land lease.

Areas of uncertainty surrounding the developer and the financing

The group also implicates AD Invest SA, a company headed by Mountaga Kane, whose legal status is considered unclear. The residents are also contesting the granting of a substantial bank loan, which they claim was awarded without a prior assessment of the land.

"How can a bank grant such a large loan in an already inhabited area? Even the banking procedure is problematic," denounces Fassouri Diawara, who presents himself as a banker by profession.

The residents reject any attempt at informal negotiation and demand clear, state-issued documents attesting to their rights.

Women on the front line

Deeply affected by this conflict, the women of the neighborhood are expressing their distress. Seynabou Sy Keïta, a resident since 2004, laments the uncertainty hanging over their homes. "We bought our land, built our houses, and lived here long before the lease was granted. The state's silence in the face of this situation is incomprehensible," she denounces.

Determined, they assert that they refuse any negotiation with the developer and demand the final regularization of their land situation. "We will fight to the end to obtain our property titles," she insists.

A conflict that drags on

More than ten years after the start of this affair, the residents of the Diawara neighborhood say they are going in circles. Some children born at the beginning of the conflict are now teenagers, while the land issue remains unresolved.

The people are now calling on the authorities to implement the decisions resulting from administrative consultations and to allocate individual land titles to them, the only way, according to them, to end this conflict which is undermining their daily lives.