Government money appears in Touba in advance of President Wade's visit

President Abdoulaye's visit tomorrow to the Mourides' holy city of Touba has been greased by finally funding Touba infrastructure projects. The President needs to spread the goodwill, according to today's article in L'Observateur. The sacking of Macky Sall, leader of the Senegalese parliament is apparently fomenting ill feeling toward the president and the Mourides are backing off from their support for the President... Those sore feelings may be assauged somewhat by the reported payment this month to Chinese contractors working in Touba of 3.6 billion CFA francs. According to L'Observateur sources, 2 billion CFA francs were received by Hénan China and 1.6 billion by another company. Work on Touba infrastructure has been restarted, although Chinese and local employment on the projects is still far below the scheduled need... L'Observateur sources with the Khalife say they'll push for more funding for the projects from the President's central government. As we noted here earlier, Touba sent billions of francs (much of it raised abroad) to the central government, where it disappeared for quite awhile. The Khalife took up the matter in a visit to Dakar earlier this year. Only 30 percent of the contract Touba infrastructure has been completed.

Report: Chinese will stay to work in Touba

"L'observateur" is reporting today that the Mourides leadership in Touba has smoothed over relations with the Chinese firm Henan, after the Chinese were reported to have stopped work for nonpayment. The multi-million dollar road and infrastructure work to be done by the Chinese in and around Touba will continue... El Hadji Ndiaye, the "right arm" of the Khalif General of the Mourides, is quoted as saying that the Chinese will continue the work although behind in payments to the tune of 9 billion CFA franc ($20.3 million)... The "L'observateur" report also indicates that 60 of the 80 Chinese who were working on the Touba projects are no longer there... About half the 115 kilometers of roadwork committed to the Chinese has been done, according to the report. Meanwhile, the balance of the five-year project, at about 20 billion CFA franc per year, will continue, insists the Khalif. The work includes sanitation and other infrastructure, besides the road work.