DAKAR, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Suspected Senegalese separatist gunmen killed one soldier in an attack on an army position in the southern province of Casamance, an official said on Friday. The attack, on Thursday, is the latest in a string of incidents in the past three weeks, marking an upturn in violence in Casamance, where an independence movement has rumbled for two decades. In Thursday's shooting, three alleged members of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) opened fire on an army position at Diabir on the outskirts of the provincial capital Ziguinchor, hitting one soldier, a security source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "(Rebels) hit Corporal Maly Ndour in the chest, he was then rushed to hospital but he died later," the source said. In late August, two people were killed when a bus was attacked. After that raid, the provincial university was shelled by suspected MFDC guerrillas. The MFDC has waged a low-level insurgency over the last two decades, demanding independence from the capital Dakar. "There is no doubt an upsurge of violence during the last three weeks," said Senegalese political analyst Babacar Justin Ndiaye. The rebel movement has accused the central government of neglecting Casamance and numerous peace deals have failed to secure lasting peace for the region, a tourist hotspot and grain producer for the West African country. (Reporting by Diadie Ba; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)
