The US State Department Human Rights Report reported that the government was committed to providing protection and assistance to IDPs, refugees, and stateless persons in cooperation with the Office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees. It was reported that the government permitted unsupervised and informal repatriation of Casamance refugees returning from the Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.¹

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of refugees residing in Senegal was an estimated 20,600, while the number of refugees originating from Senegal was an estimated 17,700.²

Displacement continued during the year. The number fluctuated according to the ebb and flow of the conflict with estimates over 10,000.³

Rebel fighting in 2010 led to continued migrations and displacements.⁴ The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) estimated in 2010 that some 40,000 people were still displaced in the Casamance.⁵

In October 2009, an estimated 1,000 residents fled after fighting occurred in their villages in the Guinea-Bissau border region.⁶ Many of the people displaced started to return to their homes a few days after the clashes ended.⁷

Water shortage and fear of mines reportedly kept refugees from returning to their villages in the Casamance.⁸ In one village, those returning were kidnapped by Casamance rebels.⁹

In January 2007, renewed fighting in Southern Casamance sent Senegalese refugees, who had recently returned from Guinea Bissau, back to Guinea Bissau. In November, a faction of the splintered MFDC warned residents not to return to the Casamance from Guinea Bissau.¹⁰

As insecurity affected the Casamance through 2006, residents fled and were displaced.¹¹ More than 4,500 Senegalese refugees sought refuge in Gambia in August 2006.¹² By the end of October, the number of refugees had grown to 6,200.¹³

The government provided returning internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees roofing materials for home construction and sacks of rice.¹⁴

No further developments observed.