Gunmen believed to be separatist rebels opened fire on a military vehicle in Senegal's southern Casamance region, killing two soldiers and wounding 14 others, the army in the West African country said on Thursday.The attack happened on Wednesday near the village of Boutolate, some 40km from the regional capital, Ziguinchor, when the soldiers were heading out on a de-mining mission, army spokesperson Colonel Antoine Wardini said. "An armed group opened fire towards the vehicle, killing two soldiers. The vehicle left the main road and hit trees. Fourteen other soldiers were injured," he said.
The Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) took up arms against the government in the former French colony in 1982, accusing it of neglecting the region, sandwiched between Gambia and Guinea-Bissau and cut off from the rest of Senegal.