Government releases 120 Casamance rebels

The Senegalese authorities have released at least 120 southern Casamance anti-government guerrillas who had been detained on charges of violating state security and undermining public order, a Senegalese defence official told IRIN today. The measure follows a meeting on Friday between the prime minister and different parties involved in the search for peace in Casamance, the privately-owned ‘Sud Quotidien’ said over the weekend. It added that a decision to release members of the rebel Mouvement des forces democratiques de Casamance (MDFC) was taken during this encounter. The meeting also decided that the army, gendarmerie, police and intermediaries must work directly under the governors of Ziguinchor and Kolda, the largest towns in Casamance. The meeting was attended by the MDFC political leader, Father Diamacoune Senghor, and its top military commander Sidy Badji. The meeting decided that any actions by the guerrilla group must be authorised by these two men. In another development, European Commissioner Emma Bonino was due to visit Casamance today to inspect programmes funded by the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), news organisations reported. The projects, amounting to some US $530,000, cover medical treatment to victims of mines and helps people displinvolved in the search for peace in Casamance, the privateluinea on this tour, is scheduled to go to Sierra Leone on Tuesday.