The President of the Republic received, on Monday, December 22, the representatives of the religious and customary communities of the Ziguinchor region, including Muslim and Christian denominations as well as traditional religions.
This meeting established an open framework for dialogue between the temporal and the spiritual spheres, enabling frank and constructive exchanges on the concerns specific to each community. In turn, the religious leaders expressed their satisfaction and presented the realities encountered in the exercise of their worship, while commending the efforts undertaken by the State in favor of the region within the framework of the Diomaye Plan for Casamance.
The Head of State reaffirmed his determination to provide sustainable support for the practice of worship, to strengthen the institutionalization and formalization of relations between the State and religious bodies, and to promote peace and social cohesion, a mission entrusted to the General Delegation for Religious Affairs.
Addressing the issue of modernizing religious cities, the President of the Republic also indicated that the mandate of the Directorate of Religious Affairs had been upgraded to that of a delegation, in order to enable it to mobilize all the resources necessary to fulfill its mission.
In this context, an inspection mission from the Architectural and Conservation Bureau of the Presidency of the Republic will be dispatched to the Grand Mosque of Ziguinchor and to other religious sites in the region.
With regard to grievances related to regional connectivity, the President of the Republic announced the launch of works on the Ziguinchor–Cap Skirring corridor, while committing to draw lessons in terms of quality standards and reasonable timelines.
As for sector-specific concerns, concrete responses will be provided in coordination with the relevant State services.
Through this republican approach grounded in attentive listening, the State reaffirms its commitment to supporting the spiritual and cultural values that constitute an essential pillar of social cohesion and Senegalese identity.