GUINEA-BISSAU-SENEGAL: Border closed following skirmishes

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

ABIDJAN, 25 Apr 2000 (IRIN) - The border between Senegal and Guinea-Bissau was closed on Tuesday, a humanitarian source in Bissau told IRIN.

The move followed clashes on Monday in which two Senegalese soldiers were killed in the border outpost of Mpack in Casamance, southern Senegal. According to a communique from the Direction de l'Information et des Relations publiques (DIRPA, the Senegalese armed forces information and public relations unit), armed men attacked Mpack from the Guinea-Bissau
side of the border.

Mpack is located some 25 km south of Ziguinchor, the main town in the Casamance, where Mouvement des Forces democratiques de Casamance (MFDC) rebels have been fighting for a separate state for 18 years now.

According to the DIRPA communique, reproduced in Tuesday's issue of the official daily in Senegal, 'Le Soleil', two people died while five were severely wounded. Another report in 'Le Soleil' said the two dead were a soldier and a non-commissioned officer.

The humanitarian source told IRIN there had been no immediate public reaction to the incident from the authorities in Bissau.

[ENDS]