The death of four Senegalese soldiers two months ago had decided Dakar to react to end the oldest rebellion of Africa, increasingly weakened.
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Since Sunday, March 13, dozens of Senegalese families flee their village in northern Casamance, southern region of Senegal, to cross the border and take refuge in neighboring Gambia. All fled an operation of the Senegalese army launched to “dismantle the basics of the Faction Movement of the Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) of Salif Sadio” and “preserve the integrity of the national territory”, according to the communiqué of the Ministry of the defense. Casamance is the scene of one of the oldest conflicts of the continent: For forty years, armed independence rebels have taken the maquis face the Senegalese state.
The Sant’Egidio Catholic community, invested in the mediation between the two parties for years, quickly called for “arresting the clashes to resume the negotiation process” and “at the end of the ongoing military operations conducted by the Senegalese army so that it is possible to safeguard the stability of the area concerned and to keep the path of dialogue open “. “There is not a day without a combat,” said Angelo Romano, a member of the Bureau of International Relations of Sant’Egidio. These operations have blocked the negotiation, there is only the way of arms since last Monday. “
The zone had not known as violent armed confrontation since 2012, when Salif Sadio, one of the historic rebel leaders, had declared a unilateral ceasefire. In a statement, the Gambian government spokesman has been concerned that “several communities and villages (…) have heard shots nourished while information has reportedly landed in Gambian border villages.” / p>
In a week, the Gambian National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has identified 6,350 people fleeing violence, including 4,508 displaced, with Senegalese families who have ironed the border. This figure may increase because the agency had to stop the recordings against “the intensity of the fighting that made the safety too volatile,” says Binta Sey Jadama, Regional Coordinator of the West Coast of NDMA. Refugees are currently welcomed in Gambian villages, with the help of the Red Cross, in sometimes difficult conditions. “They are welcomed in rural areas that are already poor”, describes M me jadama.
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