This Sunday the people of Senegal will be heading for the much anticipated presidential run-off between the incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade and the main opposition leader Macky Sall. As the citizens of Senegal head to the polls, FOSDA wishes to add its voice to the clarion call for peace to prevail before, during and after elections. The Senegal run-off presidential election became necessary after incumbent Abdoulaye Wade was unable to win outright in the first round. He pulled 34.8% of total vote while Macky Sall pulled 26.5 percent of the overall vote. Mr Wade, aged 85, is a veteran politician, who has been in power since 2000 and is seeking a controversial third term. He is accused of grooming his son, Karim to succeed him. Macky Sall, aged 50, a major of the western city of Fatick and a former Prime Minister, fell out with Mr Wade after summoning Karim Wade to answer questions in Parliament. He belongs to the opposition June 23 Movement (M23), which has been at the forefront of campaigning against President Wade’s third term bid. Senegal remains the only West African country where the army has never seized power We are alarmed at reports of alleged use of paramilitary groups by both camps as body guards. Six precious lives were lost in the first round as a result of a scuffle between security forces and opposition supporters. Such confrontations are counter productive and could eventually mar the beauty of the election. Events in Cote d’Ivoire for instance are still fresh in our minds. The human and material cost cannot easily be quantified. For that country to fully recover, it will take more than physical reconstruction. Suspicion and mistrust between different ethnic groups and political foes is more than skin-deep. The economic and social impact of any conflict within the West African sub-region has trans-national repercussions. ECOWAS member states are already over -stretched with their domestic security needs and any time they are compelled to deploy peace keeping troupes, the burden gets heavier. Therefore peaceful elections in Senegal will be the most responsible thing to do not only for the people of Senegal but for West African and indeed friends of Africa. We are therefore appealing to both sides to be decorous in their campaigns in order not to disturb the peace in Senegal. To the two candidates, the rest of Africa and the world are watching, we urge you to rein-in your supporters and not to engage in acts which could plunge your peaceful country into a civil strife. To all the citizens of Senegal, there is no place like home, guard the peace in your home jealously. Adhere to all the rules and regulations of the electoral processes and vote peacefully. FOSDA is calling for Ballots not Bullets The Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA) has been a registered civil society organization in Ghana since 2002. It won recognition from the United Nations and international peace-building organizations for its successful campaign to limit small weapons trafficking in Ghana and other West African Nations.