ECONOMY-SENEGAL: CIVIL WAR CASTS A PALL OVER TOURISM.

By Chris Simpson

CAP SKIRRING, Senegal, Feb. 3 (IPS) -- Hotel boss Ibrahima Diawara had hoped for a good season in Cap Skirring. His hotel, Le Savana Cap, is part of a long-established chain in Senegal, targeting business clients and tourists.

Diawara had anticipated an increase in bookings, with more charter flights coming from France and Italy. But the hotel is running at well below capacity.

"This week we have 24 guests and 70 staff," explains Diawara. "We are a business. If things continue like that, we can't rule out closing. I dare not things of what the consequences of that would be for our staff."

Until 30 years ago, Cap Skirring was barely a village. Then the French tourism giant, Club Mediterranee, set up in the far southwestern corner of Senegal. Cap Skirring has since been marketed as a premier West African tourist resort, offering beach holidays to thousands of visitors from Western Europe.

Gambia, just to the north, depends mainly on a British, German and Scandinavian clientele. Cap Skirring, at the far western end of Senegal's southern region, Casamance, receives charter flights from France and Italy. The modest airport plays a crucial role, enabling visitors to bypass the rest of Casamance and ensuring that Cap Skirring remains a privileged enclave, largely untouched by the 20-year civil war still being fought in the south.

The continuing conflict between the government and the separatist Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) means that most embassies in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, advise their nationals to keep out of the south.