VZCZCXRO7751
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #0423 1001716
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 091716Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0303
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

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