Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Guinea-Bissau

MFDC spokesman arrested

    ABIDJAN

    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

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join