By: Sarjo Brito
Senegalese soldiers held captive by the separatist group MFDC have made a rear appearance on television over the weekend following the one-day shootout between the rebel group and the Senegalese forces on Gambian soil.
The seven soldiers are part of the ECOMIG contingent deployed in the Foni region. One of the captives identified as Omar Choi told reporters that their human rights have so far been respected by the rebel group.
“This is our situation. We have been detained since January 24. We are given food and water daily, but peace of mind is the best thing one can have. We are seven in number, and we are part of the ECOMIG mission in The Gambia and our mission was to protect Adama Barrow. What I can tell my people is let them have peace of mind and just pray for us,” Omar Choi said.
Gambian Journalist Ousaman Jatta was part of the people who had rear access to the press conference held around the border, he gave an account of what he saw to the Fatu Network.
“This was the first press conference organized by the MFDC movement following their clash with the ECOMIG contingent. This press briefing was basically meant to clarify issues regarding the captives and their release among others.
Salif Sadio during this press conference denounced the rumour that these soldiers were on an operation against timber trafficking and said this was a well-planned attack against his men. The soldier who spoke to us was basically brought out to kind of prove a point that the MFDC does in fact have ECOMIG soldiers held captive by them and to show proof of life that the soldiers were alive and not maltreated. I can also confirm there were no signs that the hostages were tortured.
The leader of the separatist movement Salif Sadio told Journalists his movement is not a rebel group as often described by the media. Sadio said this is a movement that is fighting to liberate its people and he won’t stop until Cassamance becomes a country of its own.”
“We are not rebels. We are freedom fighters. We said we want to be liberated from Senegal and that’s it. It was the Portuguese who first came to Cassamance and wanted to make us slaves and it could not happen. The British also came and could not succeed and then the French. All these people failed and as long as I am alive, I will never relent in this fight to make sure the region of Cassamance is not controlled by the Senegalese government,” Salif Sadio said.
