French Section of The Workers' International - in West Africa

In West Africa

The SFIO suffered a split in Senegal in 1934 as Lamine Guèye broke away and formed the Senegalese Socialist Party (PSS). However as the Senegalese Popular Front committee as formed, PSS and the SFIO branch cooperated. In 1937 a joint list of SFIO and PSS won the municipal elections in Saint-Louis. Maître Vidal became mayor of the town. The congress of PSS held 4–5 June 1938 decided to reunify with SFIO. Following that decision, a 11–12 June 1938 a congress of the new federation of SFIO was held in Thiès.

In 1948 Léopold Sédar Senghor broke away from the Senegalese federation of SFIO, and formed the Senegalese Democratic Bloc (BDS). During the 1951 National Assembly election campaign, violence broke out between BDS and SFIO activists. In the end BDS won both seats allocated to Senegal.

In 1956 another SFIO splinter group appeared in Senegal, the Socialist Movement of the Senegalese Union.

In 1957 the history of SFIO in West Africa came to an end. The federations of SFIO in Cameroon, Chad, Moyen-Congo, French Sudan (Mali), Gabon, Guinea, Niger, Oubangui-Chari (Central African Republic), and Senegal; the meeting was held in Conakry from 11 January to 13 January 1957. At that meeting it was decided that the African federations would break with its French parent organisation and form the African Socialist Movement (MSA), an independent Pan-African party. The Senegalese section of MSA was the Senegalese Party of Socialist Action (PSAS), and it was led by Lamine Guèye. The first meeting of the leading committee of MSA met in Dakar from 9 February to 10 February the same year. Two SFIO delegates attended the session.