Soldier killed by unidentified assailants

A Senegalese soldier was killed and another wounded on Wednesday in an attack by suspected guerrillas near the southern Casamance town of Nyassia, AFP reported. Casamance has been the theatre of an 18-year war for independence by the Mouvement des forces democratiques de Casamance (MFDC). AFP reported that Wednesday’s assailants attacked a minibus and robbed its passengers of their belongings. However, MFDC spokesman Alexandre Djiba told IRIN on Thursday that officers of the guerrilla force in the sector were investigating the incident. “We have to find out the circumstances (that led to the incident),” he said. The MFDC signed a ceasefire with the government in December 1999 but the agreement has been breached sporadically. Both parties have frequently blamed each other for such incidents which, however, have not unravelled the ceasefire deal or scuttled preliminary discussions on peace. These talks, which participants hope will lead to a peace agreement, are set for the 15th day of each month in the Gambian capital, Banjul. However, there was no meeting on Wednesday due to the presidential elections in Senegal. Djiba said the MDFC would have to wait for the outcome of Sunday’s elections and evaluate the new government’s position on the Casamance question.