The creation of Senegambia: An integrative process with uncommitted Gambian eliters

Author

Amadou Scattred Janneh

Date of Award

12-1987

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Political Science

Major Professor

Robert L. Peterson

Committee Members

Gill Evans, Juan Allende

Abstract

There have been several attempts to integrate The Gambia and Senegal, but these efforts have been without success. The Senegalese authorities have consistently pushed for a political union between the two states in spite of continued Gambian reluctance.

The 1981 revolt in The Gambia and the role played by Senegalese forces to bring it to an end however changed the whole character of Senegambian relations. The Senegalese essentially "ensured The Gambia's security," while a confederal accord was "hastily" drawn up and ratified in that same year.

Despite the signing of an array of documents, the confederal states have not gained significant ground in the pursuit of their integrationist ideals. What accounts for the "foot-dragging" pace of Senegambian integration; and are Gambian political elites committed to integration or the eventual unification of The Gambia and Senegal?

These questions were pursued by analyzing the state of Senegambian relations and by examining the statements or the reticence of a sample of key Gambian political figures on Senegambia. A questionnaire on the issue of integrating the two neighbors was also administered to 40 Gambian elites--businessmen, politicians, and civil servants or bureaucrats--and 27 responded to the questions.

The data drawn from the statements of political elites and the questionnaire indicate that Gambian elites are not emotionally or intellectually bound to the idea of a Senegambian state. And it was also found that a significant number of the subjects were opposed to integration of even the looser type that the framers of the Confederation Agreement hoped to achieve. Finally, it is concluded that the chances of a peacefully constituted Senegambian suprastate are very slim, and that there will be continued Gambian opposition to the concept.

Recommended Citation

Janneh, Amadou Scattred, "The creation of Senegambia: An integrative process with uncommitted Gambian eliters. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1987.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/13499