At least 9,000 Senegalese have fled into the country, officials say

Immigration officials in The Gambia reported on Friday that at least 9,000 Senegalese fleeing fighting in Casamance region had entered the country since Monday. Over 500 arrived in the village of Berending in two days, they added. The officials told IRIN: "Hundreds more refugees crossed into The Gambia on Thursday as fighting between the Senegalese army and rebels intensified following a brief lull on Wednesday." The rebels of the Casamance Democratic Forces Movement (French acronym MFDC), have waged a separatist struggle since the early 1980s. The escalation in the fighting came as Senegal prepared for municipal elections. Reports said the army had mounted a "mopping up operation" in the Casamance villages of Mamuda and Kartak, which were previously used as rear bases by the rebels. Fleeing refugees spoke of heavy aerial bombardment by Senegalese forces of rebel positions, especially around the village of Diouloulou, where rebels attacked a delegation of ruling party politicians last week, prompting the current army counter-offensive. Gambian security forces continued to be stationed along the border in what their chief-of-staff, Colonel Babucar Jatta, described as “a routine move to monitor the situation on the border every time there’s fighting in Casamance". UNHCR said arrangements had been made by the Gambian government to transfer refugees from Kartong and Darsilami, near the border, to Bambila refugee camp, some 200 km inland. An evaluation mission had gone to assess the situation while another UNHCR mission from Dakar, had also gone to the border area to assess humanitarian needs. Gambia is already host to some 12,000 refugees, 4,000 of them from Senegal and about 7,000 from Sierra Leone, UNHCR said.