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Last Updated: May 9, 2008 - 3:39:21 PM |
The 16 villagers, who were attacked as they were harvesting
cashew nuts in the troubled rebel region on Wednesday, have had their hands
tied before their assailants chopped off their left ears. The mutilation is the
first of its kind in Casamance.
The villagers said were first approached by armed men dressed in military
attire, threatening to cut off their ears as a punishment for entering the
rebel terriroty.
Over the years, cashew nut harvest had been characterised by escalation of
violence and armed attacks in Senegal's food basket and vibrant
tourist attraction. Most families in the region and the neighbouring Guinea
Bissau depend on cashew nuts for survival .
Until the signing of a peace deal in 2004, the Movement for Democratic Forces
of Casamance had been waging a 26-year separatist war with the Senegalese.
Though large part of the region maintains peace, armed robbery and other crimes
continue to hunt Casamance residents.
Source:Ocnus.net 2008
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