Wednesday, 12 April, 2000, 14:57 GMT 15:57 UK
Senegal army repulses rebels


Three Senegalese soldiers and around 15 separatist rebels have been killed
during an armed rebel attack on a military post on the border with
Guinea-Bissau, according to the Senegalese army.
The incident took place in the Casamance region, where the Casamance
Movement of Democratic Forces has been fighting for independence from the
central government for nearly 20 years.

A statement from the Senegalese military said that the military border post
of Sare Wali was attacked early on Tuesday.

It said "the aggressors" were pushed back over the border into
Guinea-Bissau.

There was no immediate comment from the rebels, and the military's claims
could not be independently verified.

Peace priority

President Abdoulaye Wade has made peace in Casamance a priority of his new
government, and rebel leader Reverend Diamacoune Senghor has said the
election of a new president could lead to a breakthrough in the conflict.

Mr Wade's election last month ended the 40-year rule of the Socialist Party,
which had governed since independence from France in 1960.

More than 1,200 people have been killed since the Casamance rebellion began
in the early 1980s.

A ceasefire was agreed in December 1999 but rebels tried to disrupt the
presidential elections and violence has continued since.

The rebels, who reportedly receive military aid from Guinea-Bissau, claim
Casamance was never colonised by the French as part of Senegal and so should
remain independent - a claim disputed by France
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BBC News

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