Armed
men claiming to represent the rebel group Movement of Democratic Forces
of Casamance (MFDC) attacked twenty villagers from Tampe 15 km east of
the regional capital Ziguinchor on 7 May and hacked each of their left
ears with machetes, according to the victims and the Senegalese army.
Malang
Sane, one of the victims, said he and his companions were collecting
cashew nuts in the forest when approximately 20 armed men approached
them and started to attack them. He is currently receiving treatment at
the regional hospital in Ziguinchor alongside the other victims.
Antoine
Diamacoune, the head of the MFDC faction at Kassolol on the
Guinea-Bissau border, condemned the “brutal” act, but did not state
whether or not the MFDC claimed responsibility.
According to
another victim, Dominique Mendy, who was also mutilated during the
incident, the attackers gave them an order to stop collecting cashew
nuts in future if they did not want to face further attacks.
Colonel
Ousmane Sarr, Director of Public Relations at the Senegalese army
(DIRPA), said a lack of communication between the local population and
the army was partly to blame for the incident.
“We used to
accompany people when went to collect cashews in this area, but this
time the villagers did not inform us about where they were going,” he
said, assuring that the Senegalese army will reinforce its troop
presence and surveillance activities in the area.
In
Ziguinchor, people voiced concern about a new cycle of violence that is
hitting the region after a relatively calm year in 2007. Since the
beginning of the year there have been three landmine incidents, the
latest killing a man and wounding several others north of Ziguinchor.
Prior to this, on 28 February 100 men ambushed vehicle passengers north of Ziguinchor.
A
representative from an international donor said he is concerned that
the lack of progress on instigating a dialogue between the government
of Senegal and the MFDC forces could act as a catalyst for more
violence in the future.