The spokesman for the Movement of the Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), Alexandre Djiba, has been arrested and is being detained in a prison in Guinea-Bissau, sources in the capital Bissau told IRIN on Tuesday.
Although the official announcement of his arrest came on Friday, Djiba has been in detention for more than a week, the sources said.
"Officially" no motive has been given for his arrest that followed an interview he gave to a local radio station. However, sources in Guinea-Bissau and Senegal say Djiba’s arrest was related to his affiliation to the MFDC. The movement has been fighting the government in Dakar since 1982 for self-rule in Casamance, southern Senegal.
According to AFP, MFDC officials have been negotiating with the Bissau authorities to obtain Djiba's release. AFP quoted Djiba as saying that he was on mission and had been in contact with several MFDC members in the country.
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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