Fighting ebbs in Casamance - army says

Fighting between Senegalese troops and the pro-independence Mouvement des forces democratiques de Casamance (MFDC) died down on Wednesday, after a weekend battle in a district of the southern Region of Casamance, the government-owned daily ‘Le Soleil’ reported. However, it reported, traffic had still not returned to one main road in Bignona District, where the fighting started on Sunday. The newspaper reported that two government soldiers were killed and a captured soldier was released later. This latest round of fighting has forced 2,500 people to flee to neighbouring Gambia. Casamance is largely separated from the rest of Senegal by The Gambia. Residents of Casamance, who are ethnically different from the rest of Senegal, have been battling for independence since 1982. The MFDC, which is at the forefront of this fight, insists that Casamance was never a part of Senegal during French colonial rule and, therefore, has a right to decide on its independence. A series of peace accords, the last of which was signed in March, have failed to stop the fighting. An MFDC official told IRIN on Wednesday that the movement would hold a forum in early July to harmonies its divergent position ahead of proposed peace talks with the government in Dakar.