Senegal Cuts Diplomatic Ties with Iran Over Weapons Row

Senegal has cut diplomatic ties with Iran, accusing it of delivering weapons to separatist rebels in its restive southern Casamance region where 16 soldiers have been killed since the end of December.

A cache of Iranian weapons concealed as building material intercepted in Nigeria in October 2010, was found to be one of several shipments passing through Gambia and destined for the Casamance rebel movement.

"Senegal has decided to break off diplomatic relations with the Republic of Iran," the foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

"The report presented to the president of the Republic (Abdoulaye Wade) by the army chief of staff on recent developments in Casamance has shown that the Casamance Movement of Democratic Forces (MFDC) was using sophisticated weapons which caused the death of Senegalese soldiers."

"Senegal is outraged to see that Iranian bullets caused the death of Senegalese soldiers," the statement added.

Nigeria reported to the U.N. Security Council its find of 13 containers of weapons, including rockets and grenades, shipped from Iran.

The cargo was reportedly destined for Gambia, a sliver of a country wedged into Senegal, separating it from the southern Casamance which has been plagued by a rebellion by the MFDC since 1982.

While a peace accord was signed in 2004, talks between the Senegalese government and rebels have stalled, hampered by the fact that the MFDC has split into several factions.

Violence has surged in recent months, with 16 soldiers killed in clashes with rebels - some of the heaviest losses for the Senegalese army since the start of the three-decade long rebellion.

The separatist rebels are known to have bases in Gambia, which cut diplomatic ties with Iran soon after the incident.

According to Dakar, Iran's interim Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, held a meeting with President Wade on January 19 in which he admitted that "Iran has delivered significant batches of weapons to Gambia several times."

Salehi said "the consignment seized in October 2010 in Nigeria contained weapons and was also destined for Gambia."

The arms mystery caused several diplomatic rifts in West Africa. Gambia denied it was the destination for the arms and cut ties with Iran on December 22.

Earlier this month, Iran's ambassador in Abuja, Hussein Abdullahi said the consignment was "based on the agreement signed between Iran and Gambia three years back and this is not the first part of that consignment. This is the third part..."

In January Senegal's Foreign Minister Madicke Niang met with his Gambian counterpart in Dakar assuring "there exists a perfect harmony between the two countries" after the row.