Dakar - Twelve employees of a South African mine clearance company abducted in Senegal are all from the West African nation, according to a Reuters report.
The workers were on their way to inspect a mine field that had been cleared of explosives when they were kidnapped on Friday by men believed to belong to the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), Reuters reported on Sunday.
“I can confirm that 12 people were in fact kidnapped by an armed group. These people were working in de-mining (projects),” Senegalese army spokesman Abou Thiam told Reuters.
Initial reports had indicated that the workers were South African.
The international relations and co-operation department also said on Sunday that “no South African has been kidnapped in Senegal”.
The separatist MFDC had been fighting for independence in Casamance since 1982.
The MFDC banned clearing the area of mines, a local official told the West African country's news agency, adding: “For them, clearing the area is synonymous with crime.” - Reuters, Sapa
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