The military operation was the latest effort against an independence rebellion, which has simmered for 43 years, despite becoming weaker and progress towards peace.

It was carried out near the Gambian border base of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), which has been fighting for independence since 1982.

Colonel Cheikh Gueye, the army chief in the region's main city Ziguinchor, told reporters the operation earlier this month led to 14 arrests and the seizure of "weapons of war" and six tonnes of cannabis.

The Casamance conflict has claimed thousands of lives and disrupted the region's economy in a low-intensity, sporadic campaign.

Rebels are accused of illicit trafficking of cannabis and timber and taking refuge in neighbouring The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.

But a specialist on the conflict told AFP that the MFDC was now "severely weakened".

"It only has residual troops left, is no longer recruiting, and is seeing its fighters grow old," they said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

In contrast, Senegal's army is boosting its ranks, arms and munitions and has better control of the terrain, the specialist added.

The rebellion also faces a "serious split in its political and military factions" and is struggling to secure supplies of arms and ammunition since The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau began peace talks with Dakar, they said.

A prominent Casamance civil society figure said the rebellion had seen "a gradual loss of its political and emotional base, which was kept alive by local communities that had embraced the idea of independence".

"The reality of the struggle has created disillusionment and disaffection between the MFDC and these communities, whose aspiration today is peace," they added.

- 'Every means necessary' -

The rise of national political leaders from Casamance, such as Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who leads the majority party in Senegal, has helped to dampen the ambitions of MFDC supporters, the civil society leader said.

In March, Sonko said in Ziguinchor that the MFDC had been fighting for more than 40 years "without controlling a single village".

He was speaking after an "accidental explosion" killed three soldiers and wounded six others during an anti-cannabis operation on March 17.

A week earlier, a soldier had also been killed and six others wounded.

In November, a soldier who had been held for seven months by "an armed group" was released.

"We do not believe that the guerrillas are still talking about independence except as a principle," the prime minister said.

"The main problem is the growing of cannabis," he added, promising to "deploy every means necessary" against it.

Cannabis, said Colonel Gueye, "allows armed gangs to obtain substantial resources to finance their activities".

The operation earlier this month was aimed at "striking at the heart of their criminal and war economy", he said.

The southern border area with Guinea-Bissau has been calm since army operations destroyed rebel bases there in 2021.

The unrest has in recent months been concentrated in North Sindian, near The Gambia.

- 'Unresolved' peace -

North Sindian's dense forest and remoteness make it ideal for illicit activities, despite its significant forestry and agricultural production, said a former member of an elite army unit, Mamadou Sadio.

But he told AFP that the local population cannot sell their legitimate wares because of a lack of roads.

Instead, they depend on cannabis trafficking to survive.

"They have asked imams whether there is a religious (Muslim) basis that would allow them to engage its cultivation," said one administrative official.

Sonko says he is reaching out to the MFDC but reminded them of a basic principle: "We cannot accept the loss of even an inch of territory."

To strengthen peace, local civil society was this week holding a three-day celebration near Ziguinchor of the third anniversary of a peace deal signed in 2023 between a rebel faction and the government.

Another agreement was concluded in February last year with a separate faction.

Across nearly the whole region, refugees and displaced people have returned and are gradually resettling in villages thanks to the end of hostilities and the partial laying down of arms, the civil society official said.

"But the issue of peacemaking remains unresolved," they added. "Some armed elements are still reluctant to lay down their weapons."