Senegal has ended a four decade long conflict with the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC).
- Senegalese government ends four-decade conflict with MFDC.
- Peace agreement brokered by president of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embalo.
- MFDC rebel group sought independence for Casamance, a southern Senegalese province.
Both parties are reported to have signed a peace agreement brokered by the president of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embalo.
The signing of the agreement puts a stop to a conflict that has lasted over 40 years, over the seperation of the state.
The MFDC is a rebel group that ochestrated a low-intensity war for independence in Casamance, a southern Senegalese province bordering Gambia.
The conflict has caused the deaths of hundreds of people while damaging the region’s economy, which is divided from northern Senegal by the Gambia.
“We were able to participate in the conclusion of this important agreement, which constitutes a very big step towards definitive peace in Casamance,” Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko was quoted by the state-run Agence de Presse Senegalaise as saying.
He made the annoucement at a joint news event on Sunday at the Republic of Guinea-Bissau Palace, with host nation’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and Prime Minister Rui Duarte Barros, as seen on Anadolu Agency.
The premier of Senegal applauded the cooperation between the two West African nations and said he would be sending a message from President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to his counterpart in Guinea-Bissau to participate in the completion of talks that a committee set up three days ago.
“We had to close the work on the negotiations between the MFDC and the state of Senegal,” Sonko announced.
The Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) is a separatist movement in Senegal, advocating for the independence of the Casamance region, located in the country’s south.
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Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC)
The MFDC was founded in 1982 and has been engaged in a low-intensity conflict with the Senegalese government for decades.
Background and Origins Casamance is geographically and culturally distinct from the rest of Senegal. The region is separated from the country’s northern part by The Gambia, and its dominant ethnic group, the Diola (Jola), has historically felt marginalized by the Wolof-dominated central government in Dakar.
The MFDC emerged from this sentiment, initially as a peaceful movement before turning to armed resistance.
