Casamance conflict

Casamance conflict
	; Painting in Oussouye warning of land mines in the area.
Date	1982 – 1 May 2014 (main conflict); 2015 – present (low-level violence)
Location	Casamance, Senegal
Status	Ongoing low-level violence Unilateral ceasefire by most MFDC factions; MFDC extremely weakened by 2021;
Belligerents
Senegal; Guinea-Bissau (1998–1999, 2021); Turkey (2021, alleged by MFDC)	MFDC Three main factions (Sadio, Badiatte, and Diatta Groups); Various splinter factions; Guinea-Bissau rebels (1998–1999); Supported by:; Guinea-Bissau (2000s, alleged); The Gambia (1994–2017)
Commanders and leaders
Abdou Diouf (1982–2000); Abdoulaye Wade (2000–2012); Macky Sall (from 2012); João Bernardo Vieira (1998–1999); Umaro Sissoco Embaló (from 2020)	Augustin Diamacoune Senghor †; Salif Sadio (WIA); Caesar Badiatte; Mamadou Niantang Diatta; Adama Sané; Fatoma Coly; Ansumane Mané (1998–99)
Strength
Armed Forces of Senegal: Thousands (2012)	300–600 (1989); 2,000–4,000 (2004); 180 (2006)
Casualties and losses
	5,000 killed in total since 1982; 60,000 internally displaced

The Casamance conflict is an ongoing low-level conflict that has been waged between the Government of Senegal and the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) since 1982. On May 1, 2014, the leader of the MFDC sued for peace and declared a unilateral ceasefire.

The MFDC has called for the independence of the Casamance region, whose population is religiously and ethnically distinct from the rest of Senegal. The bloodiest years of the conflict were during the 1992–2001 period and resulted in over a thousand battle related deaths.

On December 30, 2004, an agreement was reached between the MFDC and the government which promised to provide the voluntary integration of MFDC fighters into the country's paramilitary forces, economic recovery programmes for Casamance, de-mining and aid to returning refugees. Nevertheless, some hard-line factions of the MFDC soon defected from elements of the MFDC who had signed the agreement and no negotiations took place following the breakdown of talks in Foundiougne on 2 February 2005.

Fighting again emerged in 2010 and 2011 but waned following the April 2012 election of Macky Sall. Peace negotiations under the auspices of Saint Egidio community took place in Rome and on 14 December 2012, President Sall announced that Casamance would be a test-case for advanced decentralization policy.

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