Hundreds of displaced people are still streaming into Foni Bondali for sanctuary amid ongoing clashes between Senegalese troops and Casamance rebels.

Foni leaders have called for humanitarian aid to the victims as they struggled to provide vital support to them.

Samsideen Colley, a brother to the district chief, told Gambiana: “Until now people are fleeing to our villages from Gambian border villages and Casamance. We are receiving lots of people every day.”

He added: “The money pledged for the internally displaced people in Foni by the government has not reached us yet. To be frank, we didn’t see any money because what they said in the media and what is happening about the money is not the reality.

“Since this incident happened on the 13th March, we didn’t see neither the governor nor the president to visit these internally displaced people. 

“There were no senior government officials who visited these people. We are the people who are feeding and sheltering these people since they fled their homes,” he said.

Earlier this week, President Adama Barrow pledged 5 million Dalasis in aid for people internally displaced in the Fonis due to clashes between Senegalese soldiers and MFDC rebels.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba