Human Rights Day: Global Coalitions Decry Crackdown On Senegal’s Water Workers
On the eve of International Human Rights Day, a crisis unfolding in Senegal’s water sector is raising fresh questions about how quickly essential rights can erode when public services fall under private control.
The Our Water Our Right Africa Coalition (OWORAC), Public Services International (PSI), Corporate Accountability and 10 other civil society organisations have condemned what they describe as an “escalating campaign of intimidation” against Comrade Oumar BA, General Secretary of the Autonomous Union of Water Workers of Senegal (SATES).
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the groups accused SEN’EAU, Senegal’s national water company, largely influenced by French multinational Suez, of targeting BA for opposing a controversial multi-year agreement negotiated without SATES.
The union is challenging the digital voting process used to elect worker representatives, calling it unlawful and opaque.
According to the coalition, BA has faced retaliatory sanctions for rejecting the process and defending workers’ rights.
The situation intensified on 28 November when he began a hunger strike, with his worsening health sparking alarm across the labour movement.
The groups said the dispute reflects “systemic failings” in Senegal’s privatised water system, where rising costs, declining service quality and mistrust of SEN’EAU continue to grow.
They urged the Senegalese government to seize the moment, especially with major rural water contracts expiring in 2027 and 2028, to restore accountability and return control of water to the communities that rely on it.
The statement called for an immediate end to disciplinary actions against BA, withdrawal of threats against workers, cancellation of the disputed digital elections, and transparent negotiations with all legitimately elected representatives.
With Human Rights Day themed “Human Rights: Our Everyday Essentials”, the coalition warned that the observance rings hollow “where workers are punished for defending the very rights the day seeks to uphold.”
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