As the world prepares to mark International Human Rights Day tomorrow, the Our Water Our Right Africa Coalition (OWORAC) and other global civil society groups have condemned what they described as escalating repression against water sector workers in Senegal.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the organisations including Public Services International (PSI) and Corporate Accountability accused Senegal’s national water company, SEN’EAU, of a “sustained campaign of intimidation” against the General Secretary of the Autonomous Union of Water Workers of Senegal (SATES), Comrade Oumar Ba.
The statement was endorsed by 13 groups from across Africa and beyond, including organisations from Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Senegal.
According to the coalition, Ba, a longstanding labour activist and member of OWORAC, is facing punitive measures for rejecting a digital voting process used to elect worker representatives, which SATES insists violates Senegal’s labour laws. The union is already challenging the process in court.
The groups alleged that SEN’EAU retaliated after Ba and SATES opposed plans to negotiate a multi-year agreement with selected unions while excluding SATES. They also linked the crisis to what they called the heavy influence of Suez, the French multinational that holds a major stake in SEN’EAU.
“With Human Rights Day 2025 focusing on *Human Rights: Our Everyday Essentials*, there is nothing more essential than water, yet workers defending public accountability are facing repression,” the statement said.
Tensions escalated on November 28 when Ba embarked on a hunger strike, protesting what the coalition described as years of harassment. His worsening health, they warned, reflects growing unrest among water workers and mistrust of SEN’EAU management.
OWORAC and allied organisations said the crisis reflects wider failures in water service delivery in Senegal, including rising costs and declining performance under privatised management. They urged authorities to review the model, noting that major rural water contracts expire in 2027 and 2028.
They called on the Senegalese government and SEN’EAU to halt all disciplinary measures against Ba, withdraw threats against water workers, cancel the disputed digital election process and open transparent negotiations with all legitimately elected representatives.
The coalition also demanded urgent medical care and “robust protection” for Ba, warning that commemorations of Human Rights Day would be undermined if those defending public accountability continue to face persecution.
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