Civilians Flee Renewed Violence in Northern Senegal
May 28, 2007
Dakar 14 May 2007 |
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Civilians from the northern Casamance Local He has spoken with many people who are fleeing because they say the situation is too dangerous. "I just spoke to a woman who just came from Balaye, she said that He says many people seem scared and exhausted, and will have to make long journeys to find safety. "The lady I spoke to was quite helpless, because I just saw her with Robert Reeve, an analyst at the British research organization "There are about 6,000 Senegalese refugees from Casamance in Gambia According to Rebels have been fighting for more autonomy in Casamance which Main rebel leaders signed a peace accord with Senegal’s government The recent killings of several Senegalese government officials in the Casamance region remain unsolved.
region of Senegal are being displaced again, following renewed fighting
between rebel groups. Hundreds of people are reported to have fled to
the nearby Gambian border region to find safety. Selah Hennessy reports
from the VOA West Africa bureau in Dakar.
Senegal
journalist Alpha Jallow has seen hundreds of villagers from northern
Casamance fleeing the region during the past few days. He says they are
going to the Gambian border region, where they hope to find protection
with the Red Cross or with family members already living in villages
there.
there are still firing gunshot fire, they are hearing sporadic gunshot
fire everywhere and because they know the situation is quite dangerous
they decided to flee," said Alpha Jallow.
her two children and then she was quite tired, quite disfigured,
because she said she has to walk for a very long distance before she
can get transport that will bring her to Bidgornam," he said. "She also
said that in Bidgorna she is going to stay with family members until
things calm down."
Chatham House, says going to the Gambia is a common destination for
displaced civilians from the Casamance region.
most of the time, but you get a few thousand more coming and going from
the northern area which has been the most active combat zone for the
past year or so," said Robert Reeve.
Jallow, the local journalist, rebel factions are competing for
territory in the region. He says an alliance of rebel groups are
fighting the hard-line wing of the Movement for Democratic Forces in
the Casamance, led by Salif Sadio. The breakaway rebel factions claim
Sadio’s group is terrorizing the local population and taking over local
business.
borders both the Gambia and Guinea-Bissau, since the early 1980’s, but
there have been increasing splits within their movement.
in 2004, but fighting never completely ended. Some rebels never agreed
to the talks.
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