DAKAR, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Gunmen believed to be separatist rebels opened fire on a military vehicle in Senegal's southern Casamance region, killing two soldiers and wounding 14 others, the army in the West African country said on Thursday. The attack happened on Wednesday near the village of Boutolate, some 40 km (25 miles) from the regional capital, Ziguinchor, when the soldiers were heading out on a de-mining mission, army spokesman Colonel Antoine Wardini said. "An armed group opened fire towards the vehicle, killing two soldiers. The vehicle left the main road and hit trees. Fourteen other soldiers were injured," he said. The Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) took up arms against the government in the former French colony in 1982, accusing it of neglecting the region, sandwiched between Gambia and Guinea-Bissau and cut off from the rest of Senegal. The violence in the fertile province, whose white sand beaches are Senegal's main tourist attraction, has generally been low-level but a string of peace moves has failed to rein in rebel hardliners. The attack came as the army began the process of removing landmines laid by both government troops and rebels over the past two decades. Senegal has pledged to remove all mines on its soil by March 2009 but progress has been slow. Three soldiers were injured this week during a de-mining operation and a Swiss-American Red Cross worker was killed in September when her vehicle hit a suspected mine. Experts say almost 800 people have been maimed by mines during the conflict. Handicap International, an organisation that helps landmine victims, and the United Nations Development Programme estimate some 60 km (37 miles) of paths and bush roads are riddled with mines as well as 11 sq. km (4.25 sq. miles) of land scattered among villages and farms in Casamance.
