| COMMUNITY |
| Message Boards Chat Feedback |
| SITE SOURCES |
| Contents Help! Search CNN Networks |
| SPECIALS |
| Quick News Almanac Video Vault News Quiz |
 |
Pre-election violence kills 6 in Senegal
May 23, 1998
Web posted at: 6:13 p.m. EDT (2213 GMT)ZIGUINCHOR, Senegal (CNN) -- On the eve of parliamentary elections in Senegal, at least six people were killed and several wounded Saturday when gunmen opened fire on mourners attending a funeral in the troubled southern province of Casamance.
At least three of the victims belonged to the same family. A senior local official blamed the attack, which took place at dawn in a suburb of the regional capital, Ziguinchor, on rebels from the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MDFC), which is fighting for autonomy for the province.
On Sunday, voters in the western African nation will go to the polls to pick a parliament. Opposition parties are trying to reverse the dominance of President Abdou Diouf's Socialist Party, which has been in power since Senegal's independence from France in 1960 and holds an 84-seat majority in the 120-member lawmaking body.
A key debate in the campaign has been over ending the 15-year guerrilla war in Casamance, which generates vital agricultural and tourism revenue.
Rebel movement escalated last summer
The MDFC stepped up its insurgency last July, after several failed cease-fire attempts. Since then, scores of rebels, soldiers and civilians have died.
An official in Ziguinchor said the gunmen who attacked the funeral left a message written in chalk, warning that the city's mayor would be "responsible" for whatever happens during Sunday's election.
In Senegal's capital, Dakar, some shop owners started boarding up their stores Saturday afternoon as a precaution against any election violence.
Interior Minister Lamine Cisse said security had been beefed up to prevent a repeat of the organizational chaos that marred municipal elections in 1996, the last time Senegal held a nationwide ballot.
On Friday, Diouf's long-time rival, Abdoulaye Wade, addressed a huge rally in Dakar, calling on his supporters to end decades of Socialist dominance.
"If the elections are rigged, we will not accept it. The people of Senegal will not accept it," Wade said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser windowExternal sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
|
Sound off on our message boards & chat |
|
© 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
A Time Warner Company
All Rights Reserved.