Seydou Cissokho (September 6, 1929 – March 10, 1986) was a

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

ese politician.

Youth

Cissokho was born at Bakel. His father worked as a blacksmith. The young Cissokho became a school teacher. He finished his secondary education in 1949. He worked in the countryside, later beginning to teach in

Kaolack Kaolack ( ar, كاولاك; wo, Kawlax) is a town of 172,305 people (2002 census) on the north bank of the Saloum River and the N1 road in Senegal. It is the capital of the Kaolack Region, which borders The Gambia to the south. Kaolack is an ...

and

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

Political activist

Cissokho was also involved in the struggle against French colonial rule. During his years as a student he had joined the

Communist Study Groups Communist Study Groups (in French: ''Groupes d'Etudes Communistes''), was a communist group in colonial French West Africa/French Equatorial Africa. GEC was founded in 1943, under the influence of the French Communist Party. GEC formed branches in ...

(GEC). He also became a member of the

African Democratic Rally African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

(RDA). He took part in founding the

African Independence Party African Independence Party (in French: ''Parti Africain de l'Indépendance'') was a communist party in French West Africa (AOF). PAI was founded in Thiès, Senegal in 1957. Later as AOF was dissolved into independent countries the local PAI sectio ...

(PAI, later renamed the

Party of Independence and Labour The Party of Independence and Labour () is a socialist and formerly communist political party in Senegal. For years it was led by Amath Dansokho. History PIT emerged from the Senegalese branch of the African Independence Party (PAI). At the time ...

, PIT), the first Marxist-Leninist political party in

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

, in 1957. Following the ban on the party in 1960, Cissokho was active in underground organizing work. He lost his employment as a result of his political work.

Party leader

The 1962 party executive committee meeting held in

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on t ...

confirmed Cissokho as the deputy general secretary of the

Central Committee Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of Communist party, communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party org ...

. In 1967 an extraordinary conference placed Cissokho at the helm of a provisional committee to lead the party. Within the party Cissokho represented a hard-line, pro-Soviet Marxist-Leninist position. The first party congress, held illegally in Senegal in 1972, confirmed the expulsion of the PAI general secretary Majhmoud Diop and elected Cissokho as party general secretary. Cissokho played an important role in organizing the first conference of Communist and Workers' Parties of Tropical and Southern Africa.

PIT legalized

Cissokho spent two decades as leader of the underground party. In 1981 PIT was legalized and Cissokho led the efforts for the formation of an anti-imperialist united front. He was elected party chairman at the second PIT congress, held in 1984. Cissokho died in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

whilst visiting the 1986

Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (russian: съезд КПСС) was the supreme decision-making body of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Its meetings served as convention of all party delegates and their predecess ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cissokho, Seydou 1929 births 1986 deaths Party of Independence and Labour politicians People from Tambacounda Region Rassemblement Démocratique Africain politicians