By RFIPosted on 02-11-2018Modified on 02-11-2018 at 23:12

The wrestling caravan left Friday, November 2, Senegal to join Benin in three weeks, via Mali, Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo. A movement born in 2014 that brings together many associations, NGOs and organizations, and aims to denounce, among other things, land grabbing and the dissemination of GMO seeds in West Africa.

Over time, the struggle has grown, diversified. Links have also been created with activists from English-speaking countries. Ardo Sow works within the organization Enda and denounces, in particular in Senegal, the lack of support and will of the States face private land grabbers.

" To circumvent the law on the national domain that protects the land, the government passed a law in 2007 for the establishment of special economic zones," he says. So this law makes it easier to access private land, which is a bit of a shame for the communities. "

Land grabbing, economic agreements, the West African fight caravan is also attacking genetically modified organisms (GMOs). If in Burkina Faso, cotton has been eliminated, manufacturers are now attacking other essential seeds.

On 2 November 2018, launch of the activities of the #Caravan of the West African Convergence of the struggles against the #AccaparementsDeerre and water in # Senegal. @GRAIN_org is present alongside #CNCR and @PronatENDA. @caravanecglte pic.twitter.com/jdfwMQ7Emq

GRAIN (@GRAIN_org) November 2, 2018

Sidy Ba works at the National Consultative Council of Rural People. " We are free to produce Bt cowpea in Burkina and sell it in Senegal. Cowpea Bt is the genetically modified cowpea. They are producing cowpea Bt and groundnut Bt probably to impose it and spread it to the West African countries, "he says.

The West African fight caravan will cross many countries and will try in 23 weeks to meet Patrice Talon, president of Benin and current president of the ECOWAS, to give him a book of grievances.

    On the same subject

    [Rebroadcast] Industrial agriculture and land grabbing in Africa

    Malian farmers face land grabbing

    GMOs for Africa?

    GM cotton requires increasing use of pesticides

    comments

    Republish this content

    You are free to republish this article for free on your website. We ask you to follow these Basic Rules

    The Partner undertakes not to infringe the moral rights of journalists. As such, the Content must be reproduced and represented by the Partner as made available by RFI, without modifications, cuts, additions, incrustations, alterations, reductions or insertions

    Add this article to your website by copying the code below.

    Copy to clipboard