Dakar, May 14 At least 250 pro-independence rebels from the southern Casamance region handed over their weapons at a ceremony last Saturday in a town in southern Senegal, local authorities said.
This ceremony is “the culmination of a negotiation process between the State of Senegal” and the Movement of the Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) “that has lasted almost three years”, said the governor of Ziguinchor, Guédj Diouf, in statements collected late yesterday by the Senegalese Press Agency (APS).
On behalf of the Senegalese State, Diouf thanked the commander of a faction of the MFDC and his troops for “having agreed to enter into sincere negotiations with the State of Senegal with a view to signing peace agreements that have led today to the laying down of arms”. .
“It is an act of courage that reflects your firm commitment to peace and the economic and social development of Casamance,” he said, before adding his wish that this action “show the way to other factions of the MFDC for a definitive peace.”
The delivery of weapons took place at the former base of the movement in the Bignona area, in the town of Mangone.
Various actors, facilitators of the process, technical development partners, specialized structures and local elected representatives participated in the ceremony.
The act was praised by the European Union (EU) as “historic and important” for the stability of the region.
“The EU is committed to continuing this support together with Senegal to help it finally turn the page on the oldest conflict on the continent,” said EU representative Marc Tisani.
The Casamance region is the scene of an armed rebellion – considered a “low intensity conflict” – that has been taking place since 1982 between the Government and the MFDC rebels.
This group demands the independence of that Senegalese region, separated from the rest of the country by neighboring Gambia and which has historically felt abandoned by the central Executive.
Unlike the more arid north of the country, the south of Senegal has fertile land and is very rich in forest resources, with illegal timber trafficking in recent years as the main source of income for the MFDC, according to a report by the British NGO Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).
In the past, the Casamance crisis has caused hundreds of deaths and forced tens of thousands of people to flee or take refuge in Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia.
In recent years, the Senegalese Army has carried out various military operations to neutralize the rebels taking refuge in the area, allow the population to return to their homes and fight against the illegal activities of armed gangs.
In August 2022, the rebels of the southern wing of the MFDC and the Senegalese Executive signed a peace agreement and the delivery of arms in the capital of Guinea-Bissau with the aim of ending the conflict. EFE
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