Senegalese troops attacked

2006-03-17 08:54

Baraca Mandioca - The Guinea-Bissau army attacked the base of an armed faction of a Senegalese separatist rebellion led by Salif Sadio, leaving three troops dead and several injured, said a commander.

Queba Djiassi said: "Our objective is to take Salif and his base, near Baraca Mandioca on the border between Guinea Bissau and Senegal."

Djiassi was referring to the leader of one of the several armed factions of the Movement of the Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) of Senegalese ex-separatists.

Senegalese troops not involved

Djiassi didn't justify the decision to attack Sadio's base, and said that four Bissau soldiers were killed after mines planted by Sadio's men fleeing their base, exploded.

Senegalese military officials on Thursday said they were aware of the fighting but denied any involvement of Senegalese troops.

Heavy artillery continued to pound the area of Bambali and of Guedel in Senegal and Sao Domingos, northern Guinea-Bissau, on Thursday.

According to Djiessi, three advisers of Sadio were arrested and transferred to a police station in Sao Domingos.

Military operations

Since Tuesday sources in the area, where the separatist rebellion had been simmering for 23 years, reported "military operations" initially believed to have been between rival rebellion armed groups.

The chief of staff of the Bissau navy, Americo Na Tchuto, said that the deployment had been done within the framework of military operations launched in January on the Bissau coast and which should continue until March 25.

Guinea-Bissau, a small Portuguese-speaking country, shared a 340km border with Senegal, a French-speaking country, which tried to solve a separatist rebellion that started 23 years ago.

The southern Senegalese region had been marked for a long time by armed attacks attributed to the MFDC. However, the situation on the ground had calmed down considerably for several months.

Peace agreement

Negotiations between the Senegalese government and the MFDC were officially launched in February 2005, in accordance with the general peace agreement signed on December 30 2004 in the town of Ziguinchor.

According to several sources contacted in Casamance, the attack came at a time when several military MFDC military were competing for a single military command who must be named before negotiations between the Senegalese government and the MFDC.

That dialogue was officially launched in February 2005, in accordance with the general peace agreement signed on December 30 2004 in Ziguinchor.

Observers in Bissau said Salif Sadio's faction was now paying for its support to the 1999 Bissau rebellion by Ansoumane Mane, who ousted president Joao Bernardo Vieira from power.

Vieira returned to power through the ballot box last year. A Dakar-based rights body RADDHO said on Thursday that the attack had long been planned.

- AFP