- L ‘envers de la ruée vers l’or

Dans la partie orientale du Sénégal, la découverte de gisements aurifères change le mode de vie des populations. A la faveur de la ruée vers l’or, certains villages deviennent de petites villes, lieux d’accueil temporaires de milliers de migrants venus en majorité du Mali voisin.

Sur les sites d’orpaillage artisanal, la prostitution est devenue monnaie courante.

Dans la région voisine de Tambacounda, sur le site d’orpaillage informel de Diabougou près de la frontière avec le Mali, le phénomène a pris une ampleur alarmante.

Lien vers le reportage diffusé sur la radio BBC Afrique, en septembre 2011

- Diabougou, gold rush town in Senegal

Some five years ago, Senegalese authorities found large deposits of gold in the Eastern part of the territory. Soon, Australian and Canadian industrial mining companies settled in the region of Kedougou, and the first nugget was extracted in 2009.

But all around, informal mining boomed. Miners from Mali, Guinea, Sierra Leone, all traditionally gold bearing countries, crossed borders to try their luck in Senegal.

The gold rush also generated economical activity around the informal mining sites, and benefited the local village people, even if Senegalese are not very used to gold digging.

In the mining site of Diabougou, on the month of June some 43 kg are reported to have been extracted.

Our reporters Laeila Adjovi and Maud Jullien went to Diabougou, and also found the downside of the gold rush.

Link to the 26’ audio documentary broadcasted by the BBC World service, in September 2011