Senegal: Security operations continue in Casamance February 2 /update 4

Event

Senegalese security forces continue military operations in the Ziguinchor area of the Casamance region, as of Friday, February 2. The operation was launched in response to the January 6 attack in the Bayotte forest.

Additional security raids are expected in the Casamance region in the coming days and weeks.

Context

The security operations come after unidentified gunmen killed 14 people in the Bayotte forest on January 6; 16 people were indicted in connection to the murders. Officials initially thought that the attack may have been related to the Mouvement des Forces Démocratiques de Casamance (MFDC), a separatist militant group that has fought for the independence of Casamance since 1982; however, the latest reports indicate that the attack is more likely related to the illegal timber trade in the region. Military forces were deployed to the region to investigate the incident and find the assailants.

Advice

Most Western governments advise against nonessential travel to the Casamance region (with the exception of zones around Oussouye and Cap Skirring, considered secure), as well as along the Malian and Mauritanian borders, due to security concerns.​