Casamance, river, c.200 mi (320 km) long, W Africa. It rises in
S Senegal and flows westward, emptying in the Atlantic Ocean.
The virtually unnavigable river lies in a region of lush
floodplains between the enclave of The Gambia and Guinea Bissau.
Also called Casamance, the Senegalese region is geographically
isolated from the rest of the country by The Gambia, and the
Diola (or Jola), not the Wolof, are the primary ethnic group.
Casamance was the scene of ethnic tensions and demonstrations
for independence in the early 1980s, and guerrilla warfare
beginning in the late 1980s. A cease-fire was signed with some
of the rebels in 2004, but others have continued to fight. In
2006 fighting erupted in neighboring Guinea-Bissau between
Casamance rebels that had established bases there and Bissau
troops. The name also appears as Kasamansa.  Casamance
(Casamança) is the area of Senegal south of The Gambia including
the Casamance River. It consists of Basse Casamance (Baixa
Casamança [Lower Casamance]) (Ziguinchor Regi