Senegalese and Gambian military chiefs met in Gambia to discuss ways of strengthening military cooperation between the two countries.
On July 23 and 24, the city of Bakau, on the Atlantic coast, hosted an important meeting of the Senegal-Gambia Joint Military Committee, according to the Senegalese Army Public Relations Directorate (DIRPA).
The opening ceremony was chaired by the Gambian Minister of the Armed Forces in the presence of the Senegalese Ambassador and the Senegalese Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff (sous-CEMGA).
According to DIRPA, the meeting provided an opportunity to review bilateral cooperation and defense agreements between the two nations.
Discussions also focused on the implementation of “joint patrols on both sides of the borders,” a key initiative to address “common security challenges.”
The Gambia is surrounded by Senegal, with which it shares the Wolof language and common cultural traditions.
Since their independence, Senegal and The Gambia have sought to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
In 1981, they attempted to unite their political and economic forces through the Senegal-Gambia Confederation.
Although this confederation was dissolved in 1989, it left a legacy of close cooperation.
In 2017, Senegal played a crucial role in ending the Gambian political crisis when Yahya Jammeh refused to cede power to Adama Barrow.
Senegal, with the support of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led efforts for a peaceful transition that forced Jammeh from power and into exile in Equatorial Guinea.
Barrow’s ascension to power also allowed Dakar to weaken the Movement of Democratic Forces (MFDC), part of which had used Gambian territory as a rear base.
The Gambia is the second African country to welcome Senegal’s new head of state, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, since his election on March 24.
This visit follows his first official trip to Mauritania.
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