DAKAR, Dec 12 (AFP) - A group of around 100 Senegalese nationals was Thursday evacuated from combat zones in western Ivory Coast and some 700 others were due to be moved to safety Friday, a Senegalese diplomat told AFP. Ninety-eight Senegalese were evacuated Thursday from Guiglo, in western Ivory Coast near the border with Liberia, and from Duekeou. Duekou is situated some 70 kilometers (42 miles) from Man, where Ivorian rebels clashed last week with government forces, Alassane Cisse, the charge d'affaires of the Senegalese embassy in Abidjan, told AFP by telephone. The Senegalese citizens are bound for Abidjan, the country's economic hub, on Ivory Coast's Atlantic coast, under the control of President Laurent Gbagbo's government. Another 700 Senegalese were trapped in Man, Cisse said. Some had left the conflict-riven town "by their own means" while others were waiting for a consular team expected to arrive in the town from Abidjan to oversee their evacuation. "For the moment, we advise our compatriots to remain (in Ivory Coast)," Cisse said. "We are trying to evacuate those who are in conflict zones and take them to safety in Abidjan." A group of 75 Senegalese was evacuated from the rebels' headquarters in the central city of Bouake shortly after fighting between rebels and the army erupted on September 19. They returned to Senegal via Mali, Cisse said. He added he believed that there were currently around 200,000 Senegalese nationals living in Ivory Coast. Unofficial estimates put their number at between 700,000 and 900,000. No Senegalese national living in Ivory Coast had "been bothered" during the three-month uprising, according to Cisse. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~