Suspect admits Senegal official's killing

Senegalese police have almost reached to the bottom of the last weekend's high profile assassination of Oumar Lamine Badji in the troubled region of Casamance after a suspect, Abba Diedhiou, confessed to be among those who carried out the act. So far three suspects have been arrested but it is believed that several others will join them, as the police intensify their investigations.

Thursday's breakthrough came after the police questioned the President of the Local Council in Sindian, a witness of the incident and a cousin to the deceased. This gave the police the clue, ending up in the arrest of three suspects, including Abba Diedhiou, who is a member of the Local Council of Tandine, a few kilometres from Sindian.

Police saw him as the prime suspect of the assassination of Mr Badji. He did not deny this, but added that he was not the only one lying about the matter. Mr Diedhiou is also a member of the minority Jola people that has been fighting for cessation of the southern Senegalese region of Casamance.

Since the assassination of the high profiled ruling party official on 31 December, police in Senegal have been on a thorough investigation trying to reach to the bottom of the matter. Well, yesterday the police arrested and detained three suspects in the region.

Oumar Lamine Badji, 57, Council General of the ruling Parti Democratic, was slaughtered in his home village of Sindian, dozens of kilometres north of the regional capital Ziguinchor. His killers, who set his house on fire before the brutal killing, were suspected to be members of the separatists Democratic Movement Forces of Casamance (MFDC) that has been fighting for the cessation of the region since 1982.

The late Mr Badji has been hailed as a unifying factor through whose efforts MFDC agreed to broker peace with the Senegalese government. His killing signals a new trend in the rebel incursion in southern Senegal, led by MFDC faction that disagree with the current peace accord.

At his funeral, President Abdoulaye Wade offered to give US$ 100,000 to anyone who supplied useful information about the killing of Mr Badji, whose daughter was also severely injured in the attack.

By staff writer

© afrol News