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President ready for direct talks with MFDC

    ABIDJAN

    President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal has said he is ready for direct talks with the anti-government Mouvement des forces democratiques de la Casamance (MFDC), The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau to end the conflict in southern Senegal, the state owned news agency, APS, reported on Tuesday.

    At a news conference in Dakar on Friday following a day-long official visit by Guinea-Bissau President Kumba Yala, Wade repeated his wish to solve the Casamance crisis without more war. His conviction was, he said, that Guinea-Bissau was not involved in prolonging the conflict and that armed infiltration along the Senegalese border with Guinea-Bissau would now end with the introduction of joint military patrols.

    Wade expressed his readiness for talks with parties that could help end the 18-year old war in Casamance, for which the MFDC wants independence.

    Shortly after taking office, he came under strong criticism from some opposition politicians for antagonizing his neighbours, especially Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia which facilitated peace talks between the MFDC and the administration of Wade’s predecessor, Abdou Diouf.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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