Senegal recalls ambassador in Iran

Senegal has recalled its ambassador to Iran over an arms scandal in which military-grade weapons were shipped into the region allegedly bound for neighboring Gambia, Reuters reports citing Foreign Ministry of Senegal.

Foreign Minister Madicke Niang made the announcement in a statement late Tuesday, saying the explanations Iran had given for the affair were "not satisfactory."

Artillery rockets and other weapons loaded in shipping containers labeled as building supplies were seized Oct. 26 at a port in Lagos, Nigeria. Nigerian authorities have charged an Iranian national for attempting to import prohibited weapons with the intent of sending them to nearby Gambia, which has since severed all diplomatic ties with Iran.

Senegalese analysts have speculated the arms may have been bound Senegal's restive southern Casamance region, where rebels have waged a low-level insurgency against the government since 1983.