SENEGAL CELEBRATES 48TH ANNIVERSARY IN MALAISE

UNCLAS DAKAR 000423 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL AND INR/AA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS KDEM ECON SG SUBJECT: SENEGAL CELEBRATES 48TH ANNIVERSARY IN MALAISE REF: DAKAR 386 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On the eve of Senegal's April 4th Independence Day celebrations, President Abdoulaye Wade delivered his address to the nation during which he tried to galvanize the armed forces around a Pan-African defense concept and urged young people to be good citizens. Yet, he offered little prospects for job creation. Denouncing the destabilizing effects of "politically orientated strikes" in the education sector orchestrated by the opposition he warned that he will be firm with those who seek to "harass" his government, but offered no solution to address the rise in commodity prices. END SUMMARY. Youth, Security and Defense -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The theme of this year's independence celebration was "youth, security and defense." Wade, who came to power partly by using young people in impoverished areas as urban enforcers to burn public buses, throw rocks at law enforcement officials and paralyze the school system through endless strikes seems to fear that his opponents will do the same. In his address, he urged young people to preserve the infrastructure built in Dakar but offered no bright economic or social prospects, preferring to advise them to "be patient." Meanwhile, he did not miss an opportunity to take a swipe at some teachers unions and the opposition parties, accusing them of orchestrating strikes and then making "foolish demands" just to keep "harassing the government." Wade warned that he "is open to dialogue but will not to be held hostage by the opposition." The Police Booed by the Public -------------- ¶3. (SBU) To commemorate the event, a traditional military and paramilitary parade was organized on Avenue General De Gaulle. For the first time in Wade's seven years of rule, the police were booed by the public when they paraded, unlike firemen, soldiers, and the new helicopter fleet all of whom received hearty applause. The root of this animosity between the police and the public is the rise in the use of riot police by the government to prevent peaceful demonstrations and the stifling of press freedoms, in particular the recent use of force by the police to break up demonstrations against the rising cost of food and other basic goods (reftel). This development is also exacerbated by allegations of corruption by traffic cops. Pan-African Defense Concept -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The military parade this year underscored the significant increase in the number of women in various branches of the security and armed services. The significance of peacekeeping operations was also highlighted. Proud soldiers and gendarmes paraded with brand new logistical equipment for peacekeeping operations in Darfur, where Senegal is set to deploy an extra 800 personnel to join the 800 that are already on the ground in Sudan. Senegal's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs also invited his colleagues from ECOWAS to take part in the military parade after which they were received by Wade who presented them with his concept of a common defense where African countries should be ready through training and dedicated troops to oppose foreign aggression. Decolonizing Stomachs -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In addressing the increasingly expensive prices of commodities, Wade noted, "We must convince ourselves that in order for the concept of independence to actually be meaningful, we must begin with food sovereignty." He urged the Senegalese to end the tyranny of rice importation (around six hundred thousand metric tons is imported every year from Thailand) and to return to local crops such millet and sorghum (staple crops before the French introduced rice more than 100 years ago). However, in a slight contradiction, he announced that he hopes to attain rice self-sufficiency in 2015 by developing production in the Senegal River Valley. Wade has chosen India as a strategic partner in the acquisition of technology to support rice production. Comment -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Senegal celebrated its National Day against a backdrop increasing social tension due to food shortages, high unemployment, and increasing complaints about poor governance and corruption. Wade appeared to be on the defensive and again attempted to use foreign and security policy as a way to distract from his administration's economic policy failures. SMITH