Operating under the guise of the overall political struggle is a component
whose primary motive is to use violence or the threat of violence to take
private property from defenseless civilians. Villages are often raided and
livestock and other property taken. This is a situation acknowledged by the
leadership of the MFDC who rightly believe such criminality poses a hindrance
to their desire for achieving an acceptable political resolution. There is
evidence the crime syndicates operate cross border and sometimes hitting
Gambian villages too. A strong bilateral commitment between Senegal and
guinea Bissau would go a long way into curbing those activities enabling the
interlocutors to focus on the main issues underlying the conflict.

Thanks
Karamba

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