Source : Sahel weather June 2025

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With the proliferation of terrorist attacks in both northern and southern Mali, not to mention central Mali, border countries such as Senegal are not immune. This is what General Meïssa Sellé Ndiaye has announced.  "We have all noticed that our country is surrounded by a ring of fire. Many of the bordering countries are experiencing great insecurity. In fact, some of them have almost been destroyed," announced President Macky Sall's former aide-de-camp. 

To this end, Senegal has carried out patrol operations with Mauritania and Mali, according to the army manual published by DIRPA. With recent aggressions intensifying, particularly in Kayes, very close to Senegal, and attacks in the rest of Mali, neighboring countries like Senegal are taking the lead to ensure the safety of their populations. 

However, Dr Bakary SAMBE, Regional Director of the Timbuktu Institute, had already warned of the increase in JNIM attacks and the risks to Mali's neighbor Senegal. Indeed, he believes that the sophistication of the tactics, the logistical robustness and the JNIM's ability to exploit socio-economic dynamics, testify to the urgent need for Senegal to mount a regional response incorporating cross-border cooperation, information exchange and increased investment in socio-economic resilience to counter this multi-dimensional threat. 

Senegal: strengthening international cooperation

On another note, Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko visited China as part of a drive to strengthen economic cooperation between China and Senegal. "In 2024, China became Senegal's leading economic partner, with imports from the Middle Kingdom reaching 842.2 billion CFA francs, up 8.3% on the same period the previous year", according to the Agence nationale de la statistique et de la démographie (ANSD). Mamadou Diop Decroix, finds these visits by the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister interesting, as Senegal is at a time when it must "rethink its international cooperation."  Ousmane Sonko's visit to China comes at a time when there is talk of Senegal's over-indebtedness, which economist Amath Ndiaye, a lecturer at UCAD's Faculty of Economics and Management, refutes. 

Meanwhile, the Senegalese press is hoping for a dialogue with the government, because according to Ibrahima Lissa Faye, coordinator of Senegal's press associations, the reforms undertaken by the state are only weakening media groups.