Senegal is politically stable, has a long democratic tradition and a growing economy. But the land in the far west of Africa is one of the least developed countries in the world. It has few raw materials and the climate limits the possibilities for agriculture: Two-thirds of Senegal are part of the Sahel. The amount of rain that falls there in the annual average would indeed be sufficient for a profitable agriculture – but it rains too irregular. That is why it always comes back to droughts and crop failures. Other problems caused to the intensive use of natural resources. Deforestation and overgrazing lead to serious environmental damage. Given this situation, many people wander off from the rural regions. Meanwhile, almost half the population lives in cities, one in five lives in the Senegalese capital Dakar. The result is growing slums, rising pollution and a high youth unemployment. The strong population growth of around three per cent makes the situation worse.
The Senegal is separated by the neighboring Gambia in a north and a smaller southern part. In the southern region of Casamance, the broad political and economic isolation from the rest of the country has led to an independence movement. Since 1982, there are violent clashes. Casualties, refugees and internally displaced persons, and a destroyed infrastructure and a fallow agriculture are consequences of the conflict. More than 800,000 people are affected directly or indirectly.