Source : Sahel weather January 2025

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Following the announced withdrawal of French troops from Senegal, Senegalese civilians are wondering about the conditions under which they will be dismissed and replaced. At least, that's the message they wanted to get across at a public meeting on January 15. At the meeting, employees and subcontractors of the French army based in Senegal called for "the human factor to be put at the heart of negotiations, with a social plan better than the one drawn up in 2011". Especially since, in the past, hundreds of employees have lost their jobs without any reorganization plan from the French army. Djibril Ndiaye, General Secretary of the Syndicat du personnel des éléments français au Sénégal (EFS), after expressing his expectations of the Senegalese government, particularly with regard to the reintegration of the said personnel, pleads for "a peaceful and gradual departure, while maintaining a new form of cooperation in the interests of both countries".

This call for appeasement does not seem to have been understood by Senegal and Chad, at least not after Emmanuel Macron's remarks about Africa, which Senegal and Chad considered "contemptuous". As a reminder, French President Emmanuel Macron, in his statement to the Ambassadors' Conference, accused Africa of having "forgotten to say thank you to France". Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno was quick to respond. He declared: "I would like to express my indignation at President Macron's recent remarks, which border on contempt for Africa and Africans. I think he's in the wrong era". Senegal's Prime Minister also expressed his indignation at Emmanuel Macron's remarks. Ousmane Sonko set the record straight, pointing out that "this is the right time to remind President Macron that if African soldiers, sometimes forcibly mobilized, mistreated and ultimately betrayed, had not deployed during the Second World War to defend France, the latter would still be German today".

As part of the accountability process, MP Farba Ngom's parliamentary immunity has finally been lifted. This paves the way for a judicial hearing and possible subsequent indictment of the businessman MP, who is currently serving his third consecutive term as a member of the National Assembly. As a reminder, the very wealthy businessman, very close to former Senegalese president Macky Sall, is allegedly involved in several financial scandals. 

The urgent need for enhanced bilateral cooperation

As part of the fight against the trafficking of timber, drugs, weapons and human beings, elements of military zone 6 and those of the Bassé infantry on the Casamance side, carried out a joint patrol along the entire Senegalese-Gambian borderoperation , specifically in 9 villages located along the border. The commander of zone 6 on the Senegalese side described it as an operation to secure the populations living in this border zone, and praised the dynamism shown by the two armies. Likewise, the Gambian operations chief expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the operation.

The resurgence of terrorist attacks is not only an emergency for Senegal's immediate neighbor, Mali, but is also of interest to Senegal, especially with the attack perpetrated on the night of January 19 just a few kilometers from the Senegalese border, in Kayes, which plays a key role in trade between the two countries. Carried out with heavy weapons, the attack led to the diversion of buses carrying Senegalese, Burkina Faso and Niger nationals, heightening concerns about the porous nature of the border. Despite the fact that "the country's religious depth, dominated by peaceful Sufi brotherhoods, constitutes an ideological bulwark against extremism" according to Dr. Bakary SAMBE, Senegal should be more vigilant, especially in this area dominated by illicit trafficking (gold panning, arms, drugs, human trafficking). But the reality of the brotherhoods is different in this zone, perceived as the most exposed, than in the center of the country.

As part of the drive to strengthen relations between Mauritania and Senegal, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko made an official visit to Mauritania on January 13 and 14. At the invitation of his counterpart El Moctar Ould Diay, the visit focused on strategic areas such as Senegalese-Mauritanian cooperation, notably energy, transport, security, fisheries and above all the conditions of Senegalese nationals living in Mauritania.

In the same vein, Ghanaian President John Mahama visited Senegal on January 17. Welcomed by his Senegalese counterpart Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the Ghanaian president's visit was no coincidence. Indeed, it was a working visit aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries, particularly in the economic and commercial fields, with a view to diversifying trade in key sectors such as hydrocarbons, defense, security, education, health and tourism. Exchanges also focused on the regional situation, especially within ECOWAS. The two counterparts reaffirmed their commitment to a secure, prosperous and united Africa.