Kédougou ( Wolof: Keédugu) is a town in the

Kédougou Region Kédougou Region is a region of Senegal. It was created in 2008. Formerly it was a department in the Region of Tambacounda. Kedougou has a number of ecotourism attractions. Departments Kédougou Region has three departments Department may ref ...

of south-eastern

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

near the border with

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...

and

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

. It lies at an elevation of above sea level. Founded in the early 20th century by the Malinké people, Kédougou means the "Land of Man". The town lies on the N7 road and the River Gambia amid the Pays Bassari hills and

Fouta Djallon Fouta Djallon ( ff, 𞤊𞤵𞥅𞤼𞤢 𞤔𞤢𞤤𞤮𞥅, Fuuta Jaloo; ar, فوتا جالون) is a highland region in the center of Guinea, roughly corresponding with Middle Guinea, in West Africa. Etymology The Fulani people call the r ...

foothills. Local attractions include the Dindefelo Falls and

Niokolo-Koba National Park The Niokolo-Koba National Park (french: Parc National du Niokolo Koba, PNNK) is a World Heritage Site and natural protected area in south eastern Senegal near the Guinea border. It is served by Niokolo-Koba Airport, an unpaved airstrip. Nati ...

. The main sources of income in the town are agriculture, small-scale commerce, construction, and

gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface, ...

. There is a military camp, a hospital, a community radio station and library, a Peace Corps Office and a number of small businesses. The most commonly spoken languages are

Pulaar Pulaar (in Adlam: , in Ajami: ) is a Fula language spoken primarily as a first language by the Fula and Toucouleur peoples in the Senegal River valley area traditionally known as Futa Tooro and further south and east. Pulaar speakers, known a ...

Bassari The Bassari are people who live in Senegal, Gambia, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. The total population is between 10,000 and 30,000. Most of the Bassari are concentrated on either side of the Senegal-Guinea border southwest of Kedougou, Kédougou Regi ...

, Bedik, Diakhanké, Malinké and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

. In 2007, according to official estimates, Kédougou had a population of 18,860. The mayor of Kédougou is

Amath Dansokho Amath Dansokho (January 13, 1937"Ce que Dansokho a réellement dit à la Dic", ''Le Messager'', 10 April 2006 . – August 23, 2019) was a Senegalese politician. He was Secretary-General of the Party of Independence and Work (PIT) for years; he al ...

(as of 2005).

Transport

A proposed railway branching off the existing line at Tambacounda would serve this town.

Mining

The gold-mining industry has brought several large-scale foreign mining companies to the Kédougou area. This has been a source of tension with some local residents, who point to a lack of jobs available to locals. In late 2008, protests over the practices of gold mines in the region turned violent. On 23 December a protest march culminated in the burning of government buildings and the security forces firing on demonstrators. The next several days saw widespread destruction of property, looting, and according to a Senegalese human rights group, the

mass arrest A mass arrest occurs when police apprehend large numbers of suspects at once. This sometimes occurs at protests. Some mass arrests are also used in an effort to combat gang activity. This is sometimes controversial, and lawsuits sometimes result. I ...

and torture of suspects. There were also reports that many residents fled the town, some as far as

. Security forces reported one dead, 23 civilians and 10 gendarmes wounded."Senegal: Scores Flee Town After Riot Over Living Conditions"
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, 2 January 2009.

Climate

Kédougou has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of ...

( Köppen ''Aw'') featuring hot to sweltering, rainless winters and hot, rainy summers.

References

External links

Peace Corps Senegal, Kedougou Page

Friends of Peace Corps Kedougou
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kedougou Regional capitals in Senegal Populated places in Kédougou Region Communes of Senegal

Transport

Mining

Climate

See also

References

External links