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President Abdou Diouf has confirmed that negotiations between his
government and the rebel Mouvement des forces democratiques de Casamance (MFDC) will start in The Gambia on 26 December, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
The MFDC, led by Abbe Augustin Diamacoune, has been fighting for 17 years for a separate state in the Casamance, an agriculturally rich area in southern Senegal. The rebel movement claims that France forcibly united the area with the rest of Senegal at independence.
The Gambia, located between the Casamance and the northern part of Senegal, has undertaken to mediate between the government and rebels. It started this process in June-July by hosting a meeting of MFDC factions aimed at presenting a common position for negotiations with the government in Dakar.
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