Mamadou Ndom v. John Ashcroft, Attorney General

Mamadou Ndom, a native and citizen of Senegal from the Casamance region of that country, left Casamance when it was plagued by armed conflict between government forces and secessionist rebels. He petitions for review of an order by the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) that affirmed without opinion an Immigration Judge’s (“IJ”) denial of Ndom’s application for asylum and withholding of removal. See 8 C.F.R. § 1003.1 (e)(4). We grant the petition for review in part and remand.

Background

I. Conditions in the Casamance Region of Senegal

Documentary evidence in the record establishes that Casamance is the southernmost region of Senegal, bordered by the Gambia to the north and Guinea-Bissau to the south. The Mouvement des forces dé-mocratiques de Casamance (“MFDC”) has been seeking independence for Casamance since 1982, when students marched on the regional capital. In May 1990, after years of violent demonstrations and increasing military and judicial suppression, the MFDC launched a campaign of armed opposition to the Senegalese government. See Amnesty International, Senegal: Climate of Terror in Casamance, at 4 (Mar. 5, 1998)[hereinafter, Climate of Terror]. Armed conflict…