Senegal: Information regarding the persecution of Diola minority in Senegal and specifically whether the army would persecute one of its officers because of being Diola
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 September 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SEN27862.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Senegal: Information regarding the persecution of Diola minority in Senegal and specifically whether the army would persecute one of its officers because of being Diola, 1 September 1997, SEN27862.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aae84c.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to an article published by the Fourth World Center for the Study of Indigenous Law and Politics, Diola inhabit the Casamance region of Senegal and represent 60 per cent of the 800,000 inhabitants of Casamance (12 Mar. 1994). A 5 May 1993 Reuters report, states that animists and Christians from the Diola ethnic group compose the Mouvement des Forces Démocratiques de la Casamance (MFDC), a separatist group formed in 1947 and that has been at war with the government since the 1980s (Afrique Contemporaine oct.-déc. 1991).
According to a 23 November 1990 Africa Confidential report, the government of Senegal arested several people in Casamance, reportedly of the Diola ethnic group. "The harshness of the government response had led to tensions in the army, with Diola soldiers attacking their nothern comrades" (ibid.).
A14 August 1992 Inter Press Service (IPS) report states that Diola guerrillas of the MFDC beat and drove refugees, mainly of the Mandika ethnicity, from their homes. A 14 December 1992 Reuter report states that Senegalese troops shelled rebel positions in neighbouring Guinea-Bissau, which the government reportedly accused of "aiding and harbouring guerrillas of the MDFC," and that "scores of people have died in fighting between rebels and the Senegalese army and in ethnic attacks by the rebels, who are from the indigenous Diola tribe, against Senegalese settlers from other regions" (ibid.). An 11 August 1997 La Presse article claims that two Senegalese soldiers were killed by the MDFC forces in Casamance. For additional information on the Diola, please consult the attached documents.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Africa Confidential [London]. 23 November 1990. Vol. 31. No. 23. "Senegal: Crisis in Casamance."
Agence France Presse (AFP). 2 February 1993. "La Casamance "priorité des priorités" pour le president Abdou Diouf." (NEXIS)
Inter Press Service (IPS). 14 August 1992. "Gambia: New Influx of Refugees Stretches Aid Agencies to Limit." (NEXIS)
La Presse [Montreal]. 11 August 1997. "Sénégal: Deux soldats tués."
Reuter. 14 December 1992. "Senegal Army Shells Rebels Inside Guinea-Bissau." (NEXIS)
Attachments
Amnesty International. May 1990. "Senegal: Torture: The Casamance Case." London: Amnesty International (AI Index: AFR 49/02/90)
Africa Confidential [London]. 23 November 1990. Vol. 31. No. 23. "Senegal: Crisis in Casamance."
Agence France Presse (AFP). 2 February 1993. "La Casamance "priorité des priorités" pour le president Abdou Diouf." (NEXIS)
Inter Press Service (IPS). 14 August 1992. "Gambia: New Influx of Refugees Stretches Aid Agencies to Limit." (NEXIS)
La Presse [Montreal]. 11 August 1997. "Sénégal: Deux soldats tués."
Reuters. 14 December 1992. "Senegal Army Shells Rebels Inside Guinea-Bissau." (NEXIS)
