From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:SENEGAL: SEPARATISTS DETERMINED TO UPSET SHOWPIECE ELECTION
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 23:07:40 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1993, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Asia, southern
Title: SENEGAL: SEPARATISTS DETERMINED TO UPSET SHOWPIECE ELECTION


an inter press service feature

by peter da costa

dakar, jan 19 (ips) -- separatists in the southern province of
casamance are stepping up their campaign to frustrate next
month's election in this west african nation.

in a bid to avoid a repeat of the violence that marred his
1988 controversial victory, president abdou diouf has
collaborated with all 16 opposition parties to draw up a new
watertight electoral code for the feb. 21 poll.

but as one third of the country's seven million people gear
up for what is being touted as the ''freest and fairest''
election in a west african state, casamance is anything but
ready for elections.

for more than a decade, the movement of democratic forces of
casamance (mfdc) has led a violent campaign against the central
government, saying the province should be a seperate state.

casamance is divided from senegal's administrative centre of
power in the north by a sliver of land, which is the gambia.

ziguinchor, the regional capital of casamance is the staging
ground for an intensifying war between the armed separatists and
the government security forces.

the senegalese government has blamed sunday night's rocket
attack on ziguinchor airport -- just two weeks ahead of
president diouf's planned visit to the province -- on the
separatist guerilla movement.

it is yet unclear how sunday's incident will affect the
presidential election campaign in the province but observers
predict voter turnout will be minimal if the election goes ahead
as scheduled.

insecurity has been rife in casamance and since the beginning
of 1992, hundreds of families caught in the cross fire and
targetted by separatists and soldiers alike have fled their
farms and villages. aid officials estimate at least 3,000 have
headed north into the gambia.

another 15,000 fled south into guinea bissau according to the
u.n. high commission for refugees (unhcr). officials report
having to reopen the unhcr's programme at border camps in bissau
after 8,000 casamancais fled clashes there three weeks ago.

meanwhile, u.s. has evacuated most of its nationals working
on development project in the area. a travel advisory displayed
at u.s. embassies in senegal, the gambia and guinea bissau warns
against visiting the affected area. (more/ips)


senegal: separatists (2)

france has also declared casamance, a magnet for its sun
seeking nationals, a no go area, dealing a major blow to the
already beleagured tourist industry.

a may 1991 ceasefire brokered by guinea bissau had led to the
release of hundreds of detainees and a temporary lull in the
unrest. for a while it seemed the casamance problem would be
solved before the election.

but, as witnessed by sunday's attack, beligerence appears
once again to be the order of the day. marcel basene, the
exasperated parliamentarian who leads the mediation effort cites
the split in the mfdc as the reason for the current levels of
violence.

observers say the mfdc commanders who signed the 1991 cease
fire and are pro peace, belong to the ethnicaly diverse, mainly
moslem 'northern front' which is said to have disbanded its
armed units. they blame the recent spate of activity on the
'southern front' dominated by catholics of diola ethnicity.

the southern front is known to be totally opposed to
elections being held in the region, and its escalation of
attacks in the run-up to the election is seen as a deliberate
attempt to scupper the poll.

central government has reacted by upping its military
presence in casamance, detaining scores of mfdc suspects and
generally clenching an iron fist -- a posture which has led to
searing question marks about senegal's human rights record.

senegal has also recalled two crack battallions of
paratroopers on peacekeeping duty in liberia. foreign minister
djibo ka admitted in paris last week security in casamance
would be stepped up.

''it looks like the government is pushing for a military
solution,'' a diplomat here told ips. ''the peace talks are not
getting anywhere because bassene and others are talking to the
wrong people''.

according to the source who has access to high level military
officials, army units were significantly reinforced in aug.
1992. the security presence is certain to be bolstered again in
anticipation of president diouf's planned visit to ziguinchor.
(end/ips/pdac/tvh/92)