Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance

The Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (French: Mouvement des forces démocratiques de Casamance; MFDC) is the main separatist movement in the Casamance region of Senegal, founded in 1982. It was supported by Guinea-Bissau President João Bernardo Vieira until he was overthrown in 1999. It relies mainly on the Jola people. Its armed wing was formed in 1985 and is called Atika (Diola for "the combatant").

Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance
Mouvement des forces démocratiques de Casamance
Flag of the MFDC[1]
Leaders	Augustin Diamacoune Senghor (until 2007) Salif Sadio Caesar Badiatte Mamadou Niantang Diatta
Dates of operation	1982–present
Active regions	Casamance, Guinea-Bissau, the Gambia
Ideology	Casamance nationalism Jola interests
Battles and wars	Casamance conflict Guinea-Bissau Civil War ECOWAS military intervention in the Gambia

Photo of MFDC fighters

Its leader was Father Augustin Diamacoune Senghor, who died on 13 January 2007. Senghor signed a peace agreement with the government of Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade in 2004. However, several factions of the MFDC refused to participate in the peace deal and continued their fighting. This division has deeply divided Casamance's independence movement.

History

Main article: Casamance conflict

Further information: ECOWAS military intervention in the Gambia

The movement was rumored to have involved itself militarily in the 2016–2017 Gambian constitutional crisis and the subsequent ECOWAS military intervention in the Gambia on Yahya Jammeh's side.^[2][3]

On 25 February 2025, Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embaló announced an agreement between the Senegalese government led by prime minister Ousmane Sonko and the MFDC to end the conflict between them following talks hosted and mediated by Guinea-Bissau.^[4] Similar to a previous deal in 2022, the agreement was signed between the Senegalese government and the MFDC's Badiatte faction, with latter again agreeing to disarm.^[5] In contrast, the MFDC's Sadio faction did not agree to the deal.^[6]

Flag

Since 2013 photos indicate that the MDFC - or, at least one of its armed branches - uses a new flag, designed with a different geometrical arrangement of the elements of the flag adopted in 1983. The flag is horizontally divided green-yellow with a red triangle placed along the hoist, charged with a white star tilted to the upper hoist.^[7][8][9]

See also

• Casamance conflict
• Politics of Senegal