Don't Deport Luc Baraye to Senegal

     Luc Baraye comes from the Casamance region of Senegal, an area involved in a brutal civil war since 1982. The Senegalese government forces have been in conflict with rebels from the Movement des Forces Democratiques de Casamance (MFDC) who are demanding independence for the region. As government forces found it difficult to cope with the guerilla tactics of the rebels they adopted a strategy of terrorising and intimidating local civilians , especially anyone accused of aiding the rebels. The MFDC followed a similar strategy of attacking civilians they believed had supported the government. They targeted people who were not members of the Diola tribe, the predominent group in the region. Luc's family is from the Mancagne tribe and he is Catholic. Very soon this situation deteriorated into one where civilians were unsafe from both sides as indiscriminate attacks increased. By 2002 Amnesty International had compiled a long list of civilians murdered or disapeared by either side. They are extremely concerned about the increase in attacks in the region. http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR490012002?open&of=ENG-SEN
     
  Luc found life very difficult in Casamance. He was caught between the government forces who suspected him because he came from the region and the rebels who suspected him because he was not from the Diola tribe. He left the area to study in Dakar, the capital. However in government controlled Dakar people from Casamance were suspected of rebel involvement and routinely arrested. While in Dakar, in 1998, Luc was detained by the police because his and his brother Antoine's names appeared on a government list of people suspected of being rebels. He was held for a month and during that time was beaten and tortured. A year later he was arrested again and held for a month. During this period of detention he was beaten again and his teeth were broken.

      In April 2001 Luc's brother Antoine was travelling back to the Casamance region from Dakar to visit their parents. While he was there he was murdered by rebels who claimed that the family were suspected of collaborating with the government. Luc's family suffered a fate typical of that of many during conflicts of this nature, being under suspicion from and attacked by both armed groups as intimidation and violence become the norm. 

      Luc was warned by a relative that he would be targeted by the rebels if he returned for his brothers funeral so he remained in Dakar. Rumours were spread that Antoine had returned to Casamance to join the rebels. This, in government controlled Dakar, was very dangerous for Luc as it would implicate his family as being rebel supporters. He found he could not stay in Dakar, but he could not return to Casamance either. With some help from a friend Luc managed to gain passage on a boat out of the country and came to Europe to safety. He did not claim asylum in France his first port of entry because he understood that the French authorities were returning asylum seekers to Senegal. Instead he traveled on to Britain where he felt he may get a fair hearing. He arrived in Britain in January 2002 but was refused asylum. In June 2003 Luc was arrested and three days after was taken to Heathrow where he was assaulted by five
security guards. He refused to be deported and was removed to a detention centre.

      Luc is currently in the Dover Removal Centre and has a removal date of 19th August.
He believes that if he is deported to Senegal, as his name appears on the government list of suspected rebels he will be immediately arrested on arrival and killed.

What you can do to help
             Fax/write to the Home Secretary David Blunkett, using the model letter 'Attached', which you can copy/amend/write your own.
Fax no: 020 7273 3965 from outside the UK + 44 20 7273 3965

Or write to:

David Blunkett
Home Secretary
Home Office
50 Queen Anne's Gate
London SW1H 9AT

Please take time to send a copy of anything sent to:
Luc Baraye Campaign
c/o NCADC
Cambridge House
131 Camberwell Road
London SE5 0HF

Enquiries/further information:
Allison Bennett
Phone: 020 7701 5197
ncadc-london@ncadc.org.uk

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