The Senegalese military is strengthening its foothold in the country’s eastern region bordering Mali, a country troubled by an endless cycle of jihadist violence since 2012.
By Abdou Cisse
Faced with an ever expanding jihadist threat from its eastern frontier, Senegal is taking no chances.
The country is bolstering its defense and security forces in the east through the construction of military camps in Koungheul in the region of Kaffrine and Goudiry in the Tambacounda region.
After two years of meticulous work, the latter located some 618 kilometers east of the Senegalese capital Dakar was inaugurated on Tuesday with President Macky Sall in attendance.
During the laying of the foundation stone in July 2020, Armed Forces minister, Sidiki Kaba had summed up the determination of the Senegalese government to improve security in these regions bordering Mali.
“This new cantonment is part of the high priorities of densifying the territorial network of units in order to adapt to changes in the regional strategic context and better meet the security needs of the population” Kaba said at the time.
Located near the border with Mali, this new military barracks where the 4th Infantry Battalion will be based will also strengthen the ambit of the national security forces to deal “more effectively against insecurity and cross-border threats, while facilitating security cooperation with neighboring forces.”
The penetration by jihadists from western Mali poses one of the most significant cross-border threats in the region.
Last year, a UN report warned of the presence of “elements of the Groupe de Soutien à l’Islam et aux Musulmans (GSIM) backed by radical Islamist influencers along the road from Kayes to Kaffrine, in Bakel, in the Ferlo reserve, and in the Saraya gold mining area.”
Sometime later, the Senegalese gendarmerie arrested suspects believed to be linked to the Macina Katiba in Kidira, along the border with Mali.
Containing jihadist encroachment
For several years, jihadists from the Macina Katiba, the most dynamic branch of the GSIM, affiliated with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), have been encroaching into western Mali from their stronghold in central Mali. This expansion is manifested by preaching in several villages in the Kayes region, but also through attacks targeting military installations.
On the night of November 30 into December 1, a twin jihadist attack targeted a customs outpost and a military camp in the town of Yelimane, in the Kayes region.
These attacks, claimed by the GSIM, left two people dead – a civilian and a soldier.
AC/cgd/fss/as/APA