The case of Diamniadio, the new city that has been rising in Senegal since 2015, bears an enormous resemblance to another that has garnered much more media attention in recent years: the construction of infrastructures for the World Cup in Qatar and the controversy over the living conditions of its workers. As in the Arab country, in this newly minted African city, the desire to place itself on the map of modernity would be hiding attacks against the human rights of foreign workers, as denounced by the local office of Amnesty International and reported by the press. French.
The project is of great ambition. The objective is to relieve congestion in the country's capital, Dakar, so the new city will be located thirty kilometers from the capital. It already has the nickname of Lake City, since it is being built around an impressive natural lake, and it will include multiple areas where luxury housing, industrial and commercial activities are concentrated, but also national and international administrations.
The pharaonic adjective is appropriate. With an estimated cost of more than 2,000 million dollars, Diamniadio will consist of a financial downtown, with its corresponding skyscrapers for offices, a university called Amadou-Mahtar-M'Bow that will house around 30,000 students, an Olympic stadium with a capacity of 50,000 people, the Arena Dakar sports hall that can accommodate up to 15,000 spectators, state ministries and hotels. A large leisure complex is also planned that will house a large shopping center, the national library and a large avenue for luxury shops. And also, the residential neighborhood, with houses, shops and cafes. The new central office of the United Nations for West Africa also stands out, with a 60,000 m2 structure in the shape of a star called a "whirlpool" and which will stand out for its spectacular nature. The future city expects to reach 350,000 inhabitants.
Not surprisingly, the big project needs migrant workers from Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria. And as is also customary, some testimonies evoke working conditions that they describe as "medieval". More than a dozen of these workers were interviewed by the French agency AFP and they all expose the same harsh reality.
Among the alleged breaches that are denounced are the scant protection of workers; accommodation in collective housing with miserable living conditions; abusive dismissals without compensation; endless working days for a salary that is sometimes less than the minimum wage -the average salary does not exceed 200 dollars a month-; hardly any rest days; and even psychological and physical abuse.
This is the case of Mohamed, one of the thousands of workers who find themselves in this painful situation. He started working on the construction of the new UN office and, at first, was proud to say that he worked "not only for Africa, but for the world." The 25-year-old Sierra Leonean plumber came to Diamniadio attracted by the prospect of working on the construction of one of the largest urban projects in Africa. However, he never thought that his life would be the ordeal that he has become.
Bakary, another Sierra Leonean who arrived in Senegal at the end of 2022, explains his case: because of the works, he suffered a serious head injury. However, he claims that his superiors sent him home without pay, did not take him to the doctor, and only gave him two options: return the next day or be fired from him. "They are very bad: they shout and insult the workers. Even if you are exhausted, they force you to work," says Alpha, another worker.
The cases are multiple. "Every day they yell, they yell, they hit you, they mistreat you," says Ibrahim, 26. But if the worker gets tired, and hits back, the consequence is easy to guess: "You get fired. So when you get hit, you can't do anything but shut up, hang in there, and go back to work."
They assure that they work up to 13 hours a day, seven days a week, and that they are paid the equivalent of approximately 7 dollars (6.5 euros) a day. Or even less. And that happens by breaking the country's own regulations: Senegal's labor laws provide for one day of rest per week. The minimum wage for low-skilled workers in construction ranges from 378 to 658 Senegalese francs (0.56-0.98 euros) per hour. According to the sources, none of the workers interviewed signed a contract.
"Obviously, these are inhumane conditions," replies Seydi Gassama, head of Amnesty International in Senegal. "All workers must be able to enjoy rest days, whether Senegalese or international." Some claim to walk more than three hours a day to go to work and back. Their houses are "cabins" provided by the company and were demolished one day by the police.
Foreign workers say they send up to half of their income to their families back home. Mohamed wanted to study business administration, but he dropped out of high school when his father died. He can no longer support his farmer mother and his three sisters. He wishes he could go and report his situation to the police. But, as an English-speaking foreigner, without evidence to prove his appalling conditions, he is afraid of never finding work again. "If I go back home, I have nothing. It would be a great shame for me," he explains.
Despite the criticism, He Shenjian, General Director of the Chinese construction company chosen for the project, defended that the company fully complied with the legislation. According to his version, all the employees would have been declared to the Senegalese Social Security, and all the victims of an accident at work received medical attention until they recovered. He further assured that work in the evenings and on weekends was "exceptional" and was only carried out when the workers "gave their consent freely."
