A border river
The Bafing and Bakoye rivers originate in the Fouta-Djalon mountains of Guinea-Conakry, before joining near Baloufabé in Mali, some 900 km from the Atlantic Ocean. Here, the Senegal River is formed, and continues its journey until it crosses, 30 km upstream from Bakel, its most important tributary, the Falémé, which originates 650 km away in the northern part of Fouta-Djalon. Up to the Diama dam near Saint-Louis, the river marks the border between Senegal and Mauritania. Numerous Fulani, Wolof and Moorish villages have sprung up between the Diéri, a dry zone suitable for livestock farming, and the Walo, a flood zone with fertile soils. In some cases, Senegalese and Mauritanian villages face each other, separated only by a few meters of the Senegal River. These riverside residents often share cultural traits, forge ties and sometimes even feel as much Mauritanian as Senegalese. Like Rosso and its Mauritanian namesake, there's a great deal of trade between the twin towns, from everyday products to electronic equipment of all kinds, much sought-after by the Senegalese, who benefit from the lower prices. Throughout the day, pirogues and motorized ferries make incessant trips back and forth, carrying goods, passengers and vehicles. The second gateway to Senegal after Blaise Diagne airport, Rosso will be equipped with a bridge linking the two shores in 2026, to facilitate free movement and trade between the two countries. However, despite the good relations that seem to prevail, the river has also been a source of conflict between the two countries. In 1989, violent clashes broke out between Senegalese and Mauritanian farmers, who saw their living conditions impoverished by the dams built on the Senegal River. Diplomatic relations were broken off, and the Senegal-Mauritanian border was closed until May 1992.
A river with a glorious past
From the 17th century onwards, all eyes were on Saint-Louis, which was then home to a commercial port of great importance, notably for the slave trade, gold and gum arabic. The Senegal River, navigable in all seasons as far as Podor, and during the winter months as far as Kayes, in Mali, allowed for the development of a flourishing trade inland, thus opening up several villages. At the beginning of the 19th century, the gum trade intensified, attracting many French traders, notably from Bordeaux and Marseille, who built warehouses along the quays where goods were stored and traded. Richard Toll, Dagana, Podor, Matam and Bakel thus became essential river ports of call and important commercial centers. However, at the end of the 19th century, the peanut trade gradually replaced the gum arabic trade and developed in Dakar and Rufisque, closer to the production centers. This prosperous trade then tended to decline, just as the capital of West Africa, until then Saint-Louis, was transferred to Dakar in 1902. River transport was reduced to people and mail, forgetting its prestigious past of trade. In 1935, the Messageries du Sénégal were created, which then held a monopoly on traffic on the river. To challenge this specific navigation, the Bou el Mogdad was designed in the Dutch shipyards, a 52-meter long ship with an excellent steel hull. From the 1950s onwards, the boat travelled the river from Saint-Louis to Kayes in Mali, passing through Richard Toll, Podor and Bakel, and became one of the main means of transport and communication between the most remote villages in northern Senegal, as the country had no roads at that time. When it arrived in the trading posts, a whole population was agitated and came to meet it to collect mail and goods. But as road transport developed in the country, the Bou became less useful to the people. Abandoned on the docks of Saint-Louis for several years, it was bought by a Frenchman, Georges Consol, who gave it a new lease of life. In 1980, she became a tourist boat that made cruises between Saint-Louis and Podor. This period lasted only a short time, because following the construction of the Diama dam, she left the Senegal River to join the Casamance and then Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and the Sine-Saloum. Away for several years from his beloved region of Saint-Louis, it was not until 2005 that the Bou found its original river, bought by Jean-Jacques Bancal, a passionate Saint-Louisian, and several associates. On October 16, 2005, the entire population of St. Louis waited impatiently for its return, crowded on the quays, when the Faidherbe Bridge, closed for more than 20 years, slowly swung open to let this legendary boat in, under the nostalgic but joyful gaze of onlookers. Barely a month later, the inaugural cruise between Saint-Louis and Podor is organized, the first of a whole series, which takes place every week from October to May, thus retracing its historical course.
A unique interstate cooperation
In 1972, at a time when the Senegal River valley was suffering terrible droughts and crops were threatened by the rising salt water over a stretch of almost 250 km, Mali, Senegal and Mauritania decided to pool their efforts to control water resources, while exploiting them rationally and making the necessary improvements. The result was the creation of the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS), which Guinea joined in 2006. One of the Organization's first achievements was the construction of the Diama dam, 27 km upstream of Saint-Louis. Opened in 1985, its main purpose is to block the advance of sea salt inland, making the land suitable for agriculture. During periods of high water, this movable dam opens to ensure the river's normal flow, and closes during periods of low water to prevent salt water from rising. It also serves as a drinking water reservoir, supplying 60% of Dakar's water to Lake Guiers. Although the construction of the dam has saved agriculture in the valley, it has, like all dams, led to changes in ecosystems. At the mouth of the river, freshwater has difficulty flowing and the river has been invaded by the ocean, while upstream of the dam, the stagnant water has led to the proliferation of mosquitoes and invasive plants such as typha. Another example of this cooperation is the Manantali dam in Mali, built on one of the Senegal River's tributaries, the Bafing, to regulate the river's flow and promote land irrigation. What's more, since 2001, it has been generating electricity, which is then distributed among the shareholder countries, of which Senegal receives 33%. OMVS's dream? To make the river navigable via a 905 km-long channel linking Saint-Louis to the river port of Ambidédi, a town 40 km from Kayes in Mali, in order to open up certain towns and stimulate trade. However, this ambitious project, which has been under study for the past 40 years, requires such costly investments and such extensive works that it will be several years before this dream becomes a reality.
A fertile valley
Running through semi-arid regions, the alluvial valley of the Senegal River, which stretches from Bakel to Dagana, is one of the river's main flooding zones. Its bed, which sometimes overflows up to 25 km wide in winter, fertilizes millions of hectares of land. As a result, its banks have become a vital center of prime importance, attracting numerous tribes from time immemorial to practice livestock breeding and agriculture. With almost 343,000 tonnes of rice harvested in 2024, irrigated rice growing is the valley's main activity during the winter months, and the number of rice-growing schemes has increased in recent years. The country, which aims to be self-sufficient in rice, has placed the Senegal River valley at the heart of this challenge, and since then, production has grown steadily, reaching almost 60% of national output. The region's other economic engine is undoubtedly sugar cane production, with the Compagnie Sucrière Sénégalaise's fields stretching over 12,000 hectares at the gateway to Richard Toll. Established in 1970, its agro-industrial complex, which employs up to 8,000 people at the height of the season, carries out the entire process of transforming cane into refined sugar on site, with production reaching almost 150,000 tonnes in 2024. October sees the start of the recession, which leaves behind fertile, flooded land for a variety of horticultural operations. Tomatoes, eggplants, pumpkins, watermelons and corn - a wide variety of species are grown here by farmers. Although local production lags far behind that of rice or sugar cane, horticulture is attracting an increasing number of multinationals who see a future for the valley. In addition to Grands Domaines du Sénégal, Société de cultures légumières, which has been based in Diama since 2006, has also established itself as a leader in the sector, exporting over 90% of its fruit and vegetables.
Mame Coumba Bang, the goddess of the river
The last city to be watered by the Senegal River, built on an island in the river's estuary, Saint-Louis is said to be under the protection of a goddess, Mama Coumba Bang, who lives in the fresh waters of the river. According to a local animist belief, this beautiful woman, dressed in a beautiful colored boubou, warned the inhabitants of Saint-Louis of the dangers that awaited them when she came to do her market. To avoid these misfortunes, she recommended them to make offerings, before sinking, the calabash on the head, in the deep waters. Thus, to chase away the evil eye, the Saint-Louisians took the habit of making libations, by pouring curdled milk to pay homage to the one nicknamed "grandmother". Her story, inscribed in the popular legend, has inspired more than one artist, like the griots who sing her memories to the rhythm of the balafon or the kora. Perhaps during your stay in Saint-Louis, you will come across a musician, storyteller or writer along the banks of the Senegal River, declaiming a few snippets of a future composition? Because Saint-Louis inspires artists from all over the world, who once crossed the Faidherbe Bridge, soak up this magical atmosphere, between river and ocean.
