Senegal beefs up security in east to nullify jihadist threat --[Reported by Umva mag]

To respond to the ever-closer threat of terrorism, Senegal has strengthened its security along the border with Mali.

The Senegalese Defence and Security Forces (FDS) launched Operation NAWETAN on 13 September 2024 in the Faleme region, on its eastern border.

This comes against a backdrop of increasing jihadist attacks in western Mali, with the Support group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM) claiming responsibility for three attacks in August in the Kayes region, close to the Mauritanian and Senegalese borders.

According to the Direction de l’Information et des Relations Publiques des Armees (DIRPA), the aim of the operation is to “prevent any infiltration by armed gangs operating beyond our borders’ and to ‘support the population in the most isolated villages.”

The armed forces, the national gendarmerie and the national parks have mobilised air, river and land resources for this joint operation.

According to the Dirpa, the operation is a continuation of Operation NIOKOLO, which was carried out less than a month earlier, reinforcing “the interoperability of the FDS in this sensitive region.”

The area of intervention, the Faleme, is a river marking the border between Senegal and Mali. Rich in mineral resources, particularly gold, it represents a major strategic and security challenge for the Senegalese authorities.

Operation NAWETAN also has to “ensure the application of the decree relating to the protection” of this area and “control mining activities” in the region.

It is also taking place against a difficult climatic backdrop, with heavy rainfall and record river levels, making
certain areas difficult to access and potentially conducive to organised crime.

AC/Sf/fss/as/APA

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