Senegal said Saturday that it is positioning new gendarmerie units in the east of the country as it faces growing security threats along its border with Mali.
Terrorist attacks early last month in western Mali included an assault on Diboli, a border community less than 500 metres from the town of Kidira in Senegal. The attacks were claimed by JNIM terrorist group.
Senegal's National Gendarmerie said in a post on Facebook it had opened new units in Tambacounda, Kedougou and Saraya in ceremonies this week conducted by the minister of the armed forces, General Birame Diop.
The new units are meant to address "cross-border crime, trafficking of all kinds, and the many security challenges specific to this part of the country", the post said.
Nighttime bikes ban
It added that their creation reflects "the will of the senior authorities to guarantee the protection of populations and property as well as the security of the territory".
Among the new units are an investigation brigade in Tambacounda, a rapid action group for surveillance and intervention plus a gendarmerie company in Saraya and a gendarmerie legion in Kedougou.
Diop "emphasised the need to establish a climate of trust with the population for better collaboration", according to the Facebook post.
For several years, terrorist groups have been carrying out attacks in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
Senegalese officials recently imposed a nighttime ban on motorcycles in the eastern Bakel region, which stretches along the border, after terrorists used motorbikes in their attacks in Mali.
