Father Simeon Coly was traveling in a taxi-bus. Armed men demanded that the taxi driver stop, but he refused. The bandits opened fire, injuring three of the occupants and killing two, including the priest, who was shot through the heart.
Father Coly, of the Ziguinchor Diocese, was parish priest at Niaguis, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Ziguinchor. He also directed the diocesan committee for Christian-Muslim relations.
The ambush is one of many signs of persisting strife in the region. Since 1982 the Movement of Democratic Forces Casamance (MDFC) has struggled for independence. On March 16, an agreement was signed between the separatists and the government with the mediation of Bishop Maixent Coly of Ziguinchor.
Not all rebel groups adhered to the pact. MFDC´s own internal struggles, following the resignation of its secretary-general Jean Francois Biagui, have led to various acts of violence.
