Peace Negotiations and Time: Deadline Diplomacy in Territorial Disputes by Marco Pinfari

Author:Marco Pinfari [Pinfari, Marco]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: International Relations, Diplomacy, Military, Peace, Political Science, Political Freedom, History, General
ISBN: 9780415523875
Google: 8P4DZxqCsw8C
Goodreads: 13110868
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2012-09-03T00:00:00+00:00

4.8.2 Inter-faction coordination and pre-negotiation agreements

Most analysts and ‘insiders’, however, agree on the fact that, at least since the late 1990s, the main obstacle towards the resolution of the conflict has been the fragmentation of the rebel movement and its inability to agree on what the final aims of the revolt should be and on the opportunity to begin negotiations with the Senegalese government (ARB 1999d: 13700).

The internal dynamics within the MFDC are defined since the 1990s as ‘confused’ (ARB 1997b: 12867). Throughout the height of the fighting, internal quarrels and leadership struggles within the movement resulted in many episodes of violence and killings (cf. ARB 2001a: 14273), so that journalists were at times uncertain whether specific acts were to be attributed to the Senegalese soldiers or to ‘settling of scores’ among MFDC factions (ARB 1997a: 12807). The MFDC was torn by the dualism between Augustine Diamacoune Senghor and Sidi Badji, the challenge from new leaders of the new generation (both Senghor and Badji were in their seventies) and from the maquisards led by Sadio, and was increasingly challenged from the outside by initiatives coming from Casamançais MPs and from civil society (ARB 1998a: 12980).

In this context, the formation of a joint delegation representing most, if not all, the Casamance rebel groups was quickly recognized as a necessary precondition for significant negotiations to begin. According to analysts, by late 1998:

The need for such dialogue [was] made even more urgent because the young fighters are increasingly adopting behaviour akin to banditry and a resurgence of violence could provoke greater rigidity from the Senegalese regime which seems ever more fragile on the political front.

(ARB 1998c: 13287)

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