Senegal and Mauritania have stepped up their military collaboration, conducting a joint river patrol on the Senegal River between Bakel (Senegal) and Gande (Mauritania) on Thursday.
The operation, carried out by elements of the Bakel River section and their Mauritanian counterparts, is a regular feature of the countries’ bilateral military cooperation. According to the Directorate of Information and Public Relations of the Armed Forces (DIRPA), the goal is to enhance security, coordination, and the fight against cross-border threats along the shared river border.
This latest action follows a joint land patrol conducted in the same area in September. That land operation covered several localities near the Malian border and supported Operation Karangue (which means “security” in Wolof), Senegal’s ongoing effort to secure its eastern border regions of Tambacounda and Kedougou.
These joint security maneuvers come amid a significant surge in jihadist attacks in western Mali, close to both the Senegalese and Mauritanian borders.
The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM/JNIM) has been highly active, conducting coordinated operations in Mali’s Kayes, Nioro, and Ségou regions earlier this year. More recently, the group has imposed blockades on several Malian cities that are critical links to Senegal and Mauritania, severely disrupting traffic on the vital Kidira-Bamako corridor.
Securing this corridor is a major priority, as Mali remains Senegal’s top African trading partner, accounting for approximately 21% of Senegal’s total exports (worth over 802 billion CFA francs in 2024).
The joint patrols with Mauritania—which follow similar drills conducted earlier in May with both Mauritania and Mali—are part of a broader regional strategy of prevention and deterrence against the advance of armed groups in the border areas. This security commitment was reaffirmed during a May meeting between Senegalese Minister of the Armed Forces, General Birame Diop, and Malian transitional president, Assimi Goita.
AC/fss/abj/APA