Dakar, Senegal – A Senegalese soldier, held prisoner for seven months by an “armed gang” in Casamance (southern Senegal), has been released and is in good health, the Senegalese army announced in a statement.

The soldier had been reported missing on the night of April 13 during an army operation in the department of Bignona, an area where an armed independence movement has been active since December 1982.

Mediation Efforts Are Successful

The Armed Forces Public Relations Directorate (DIRPA) stated that "mediation efforts undertaken over several months have led to the soldier's release." He was handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Tuesday, November 11.

According to the Dirpa, "the person in question is doing well and has been transported to Dakar by the military authorities."

The soldier disappeared during a "sweep" operation launched after atrocities committed by "armed individuals" against local populations in the Bignona department, located near The Gambia (a country partially surrounded by Senegal). Another soldier had been wounded during the same operation in April.

Context: The Conflict in Casamance

Casamance, geographically separated from the rest of Senegal by The Gambia, is the scene of one of Africa's longest-running conflicts. The Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) went underground after the repression of a march in December 1982.

This conflict, although it has persisted quietly in recent years, has claimed thousands of victims and devastated the regional economy.

Recently, the Senegalese government has been working towards the resettlement of displaced populations, notably announcing the destruction of several rebel bases, particularly on the border with Guinea-Bissau.

Progress Towards Peace

Recent talks have marked significant progress. At the end of February, the new Senegalese authorities, elected in March 2024, and the separatist rebellion signed an "important agreement" in Bissau for a lasting peace in the region.

The last agreement made public dated from August 2022, also signed in Bissau, between the Senegalese state and César Atoute Badiate, a rebel military leader sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for assassination and armed insurrection.