The fighting on Tuesday followed clashes late last month that left seven soldiers dead in a region where rebels have waged a low-level insurgency for independence since 1982.“During the clash the army lost two soldiers and one soldier was wounded,” army spokesman Col. Abdourahim Kebe said.A security source told Reuters that the clash with the suspected rebels took place not far from Mapalago, about 50 km (31 miles) to the north from the regional capital Ziguinchor.The rebels were not immediately available for comment.Casamance, an area south of the Gambia River and to the north of Guinea-Bissau, is known for its pristine white beaches and was once a prime tourism destination but visitors have been put off by the growing insecurity.The region was also once a key cereal-producing zone.The government has said that it is ready for talks but there are several factions within the MFDC rebel movement, which complicates the process.Senegal has been spared the violence and political instability that gripped much of West Africa in recent decades. But there is high youth unemployment and octogenarian President Abdoulaye Wade is likely to face a turbulent run-up to elections in 2012.
