Culled from the AP

Saturday May 26 9:57 AM ET
Report: Senegal Clashes Kill 200

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) - A weeklong army offensive against rebel bases in
southern Senegal has left 200 rebels dead, a state-run news agency said
Saturday.

The casualties came in clashes in the villages of Djibidione and Sindian in
the province of Casamance near the Gambian border, the Senegalese News
Agency said. A number of villages were partly or completely burned down in
the fighting.

The army has not commented on the rebel death toll, but military sources
said one army captain was killed and three soldiers lightly wounded while
on patrol near Djibidione last week.

An independent daily, Le Matin, said Saturday that a ``large number of
wounded soldiers'' involved in the offensive had been rushed to a hospital
in the regional capital of Ziguinchor.

Rebels in Casamance have been fighting for independence since 1983. Both
sides signed a cease-fire three months ago, but sporadic attacks have
continued.

The latest fighting has sent more than 2,000 civilians fleeing across the
border into Gambia, the United Nations (news - web sites)' refugee agency
said.

Another 1,000 Senegalese refugees from earlier fighting reportedly have
been forced from camps in Guinea-Bissau - with Guinea-Bissau's army
allegedly firing machine guns and rockets to clear the camps.

Army officials say the offensive is aimed at eliminating Salif Sadio, the
hard-line military commander of the rebel force. Sadio, unlike the rebels'
civilian leader, refused to sign the March cease-fire.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask]
if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------