Gambiaj.com – (Casamance, Senegal) – One month after a violent ambush on Senegalese troops conducting an anti-robbery operation in Casamance, little clarity has emerged on the fate of a missing soldier caught in the attack. The incident occurred on April 16 in the Mongone sector, within the Bignona district of the Ziguinchor region, in the troubled southern region bordering The Gambia, and left one soldier injured and another unaccounted for—prompting growing concern and speculation within both military and civilian circles.
The ambush targeted a unit of the Senegalese army’s 25th Reconnaissance and Support Battalion (BRA) that had been deployed as part of routine security operations aimed at countering rising cases of armed robbery and smuggling in the area.
The Gambia Journal reported that the ambush involved unidentified armed assailants and took place during an active military sweep in the volatile area. While one soldier was wounded in the clash, his comrade has remained missing ever since.
Now identified through credible Senegalese sources as a member of a medical support unit, the missing soldier had been deployed in Casamance from his previous posting in Senegal’s northern Saint-Louis region.
His role, though non-combative, placed him in proximity to active operations in the restive area where separatist elements and criminal gangs have long challenged state authority.
Despite the gravity of the incident, Senegalese authorities have offered limited public updates. Military sources remain tight-lipped about whether there are signs the soldier is alive or if his disappearance is linked to known rebel factions or rogue armed groups.
Equally absent are any indications of contact from possible captors, whether for ransom or political leverage—an element that adds to the mystery surrounding the soldier’s fate.
However, intelligence sources have disclosed one critical development: the last digital trace of the missing soldier was picked up through phone triangulation technology.
His mobile signal reportedly pinged in the vicinity of the Gambian border, particularly around the Foni region—a corridor that has long been exploited by smugglers and armed groups due to its porous nature and forested terrain. This proximity to The Gambia has also raised cross-border security concerns, although Gambian authorities have not publicly commented on the matter.
Casamance, though quieter in recent years, continues to pose serious security challenges. The region has experienced decades of separatist insurgency led by the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), interspersed with periods of relative calm. In recent months, a resurgence in criminal activities and the military’s expanded operations have heightened tensions, particularly in zones like Djignaky.
The silence from the Senegalese military command on the soldier’s condition or possible recovery efforts has begun to stir unease among the public, particularly within military families and communities in Saint-Louis, where the soldier was previously stationed. Social media platforms have seen sporadic calls for transparency and appeals for increased efforts to locate and rescue him.
For now, the case remains open and unresolved—emblematic of the risks Senegalese forces continue to face in the fraught landscape of Casamance. As days turn into weeks, the fate of the missing medic is increasingly viewed as a test of the military’s commitment to its personnel and the broader question of stability in Senegal’s southern flank.
