Representatives of the Senegalese government and the Mouvement des forces democratiques de Casamance (MFDC) met briefly in the southern town of Ziguinchor on Saturday, media organisations reported.
The meeting marked the resumption of the peace process in Casamance, southern Senegal, where the MFDC has been fighting for an independent state since 1982. However, the parties not hold peace negotiations. The MFDC’s leader, Father Augustin Diamacoune, said the meeting was a “simple protocol ceremony”, AFP reported.
The French news agency quoted Interior Minister Mamadou Niang, head of the government delegation, as saying that a date would be fixed for a second meeting.
The liberation of prisoners, the return of displaced people and the implementation of development projects in the Casamance will constitute key issues in upcoming meetings, according to AFP.
Saturday’s event marked the first official meeting between the government of
President Abdoulaye Wade and the MFDC.
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