Ekeomah Atuonwu
Separatist rebels from Senegal’s southern Casamance region turned over seven Senegalese troops kidnapped three weeks ago on Monday, asking for nothing in exchange.
The soldiers were transported across the border to a location near the Gambian settlement of Bajagar, where they were handed up to authorities from the Gambian administration and the ECOWAS regional bloc.
The liberated captives were seen to be in good health and were transported out of the region in Red Cross jeeps. The charity reported that it had paid visits to the troops who were being held captive and offered medical attention.
On January 24, fighters from the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) and the Senegalese army clashed, resulting in the release.
Seven Senegalese soldiers were taken alive after four were dead.
The event occurred during an operation to combat illicit logging on Senegal’s border with The Gambia, according to the military.
Last week, however, MFDC leader Salif Sadio claimed that Senegalese forces stationed in The Gambia crossed the border and attacked his Casamance camps.
The soldiers were members of the ECOMOG peacekeeping mission in The Gambia, which is run by the West African bloc ECOWAS.
According to the Africa Daily News in New York, the MFDC is responsible for a low-intensity separatist insurgency in Senegal’s southern area of Casamance that began in 1982 and has claimed thousands of lives.
Casamance was a Portuguese possession for hundreds of years until colonial France took it over in 1888. After Senegal attained independence in 1960, it became a component of the country.
The Gambia River, which runs through the tiny state of The Gambia, separates the region, which has its own culture and language, from the rest of Senegal.
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