{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Jef le Saltimbanque","provider_url":"https:\/\/jef-le-saltimbanque.com\/en\/","author_name":"JJ ANEYOTA alias Jef le Saltimbanque","author_url":"https:\/\/jef-le-saltimbanque.com\/en\/author\/lesaltimbanque\/","title":"Will Saint-Louis of Senegal disappear? - Jef le Saltimbanque","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"I5w4YcxhlL\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jef-le-saltimbanque.com\/en\/2026\/02\/02\/will-saint-louis-of-senegal-disappear\/\">Will Saint-Louis of Senegal disappear?<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/jef-le-saltimbanque.com\/en\/2026\/02\/02\/will-saint-louis-of-senegal-disappear\/embed\/#?secret=I5w4YcxhlL\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Will Saint-Louis of Senegal disappear?&#8221; &#8212; Jef le Saltimbanque\" data-secret=\"I5w4YcxhlL\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/jef-le-saltimbanque.com\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/jef-le-saltimbanque.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img-5-small580.png","thumbnail_width":580,"thumbnail_height":541,"description":"A somewhat clickbait title\u2026 but not without a certain grounding in reality. The mythical Senegalese city of&nbsp;Saint-Louis&nbsp;\u2014 home to the famous&nbsp;H\u00f4tel de la Poste, a historic stopover for pilots of the A\u00e9ropostale \u2014 lies on the Atlantic coast. For decades, it was protected from the ocean\u2019s assaults by a natural sandbar: the&nbsp;Langue de Barbarie. This coastal barrier played a crucial role. Sediments carried by the Senegal River were regularly deposited along its inner face, gradually reinforcing this natural defense. Fragile yet effective, this mechanism ensured the city\u2019s protection against marine erosion. A first imbalance appeared with the construction of the&nbsp;Diama Dam, upstream on the river. By reducing seasonal flooding, the dam limited the supply of fine sands and silts, gradually weakening the Langue de Barbarie. The final blow came in&nbsp;2003. At that time, the city was regularly flooded during periods of high water. In addition, local fishermen wanted more direct access to the ocean\u2014they had to go around the Langue de Barbarie to the south in order to reach it. The tragic idea, therefore, was to open an artificial passage slightly south of the city, in order to buy time and facilitate water flow. This led to the collapse of [&hellip;]"}