Senegalese Casamance Conflict Forces Gambian Foni School Closures
Hon Foni Gibba for Foni Kansala © Askanwi
By Edward Francis Dalliah
Conflict in southern Senegal has led to the temporary closure of several Gambian schools in the Foni area along the border between the two countries.
In a notice addressed to school authorities, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE), through Regional Education Directorate 2 East in the West Coast Region, announced the closure of schools near the Foni southern border due to growing security concerns linked to the ongoing conflict.
The notice emphasised that the safety and well-being of students, teachers, and school staff remain a top priority. As a result, nine schools have been temporarily closed until the security situation improves.
The conflict involves Senegalese government forces and the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), a separatist rebel group based in the forests of the Casamance region. Although the fighting is taking place in villages near the border, there have been reports of stray bullets crossing into The Gambia, prompting heightened security measures.
On 24th March 2026, the National Assembly Member for Foni Kansala, Hon Almaneh Gibba, raised the issue in Parliament under a Matter of the day. He pointed out that “recent confrontations between the Senegalese Armed Forces and elements of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance have escalated dangerously, and the consequences are now being felt within our own territory.”
He added, “What began on the 12th of March as an armed clash has, over the days, intensified into a sustained conflict along the Casamance–Gambia border, with serious implications for our people.”
Hon. Gibba further highlighted the humanitarian impact, noting that several communities have been affected. “Villages within Foni Bintang Karani, namely Jakine, Kayengha, Kamosorr, Batendeng Ajapineh, and Giffangha, have been forced into displacement,” he said, adding that schools in the affected areas have been closed as a result of the conflict.
Supporting the motion, the National Assembly Member for Foni Bintang expressed concern over what he described as a lack of public response from authorities. He noted that the Ministry of Defence had not issued a statement condemning the situation and added, ‘We have not seen the President address the issue, as if this is normal or accepted.’
The MFDC has been fighting for the independence of Senegal’s southern Casamance region since the conflict, which began in 1982, is considered one of Africa’s longest-running low-intensity insurgencies. Although a peace agreement was reportedly signed between the Government of Senegal and the MFDC in February last year, raising hopes that the decades-long conflict was nearing an end, recent clashes have cast doubt on the durability of that agreement.
With The Gambia now feeling the direct impact of the violence and its citizens increasingly affected, concerns are mounting over the government’s response. National Assembly Members have called on authorities to take decisive action and address the situation with urgency.
