The Gambia and Senegal have strengthened their bilateral defense and security cooperation following a high-level meeting in Banjul, prompted by a recent armed attack near their shared border. Senegal’s Defense Minister, General (ret.) Birame Diop, and his Gambian counterpart, Brigadier General (ret.) Sering Modou Njie, met to reactivate joint military and security committees and expedite the implementation of existing agreements. These include the 2017 Defense Cooperation Accord and a 2018 cross-border operations protocol, which allows coordinated responses to regional threats.
The renewed collaboration comes in the wake of an armed assault in the Senegalese town of Djinaky, close to the Gambian border, where unidentified assailants looted shops and stole mobile phones. In response, the Senegalese military launched a counter-operation in the Bignona area, resulting in one soldier wounded and another missing. Both governments emphasized the urgent need for improved intelligence sharing, coordinated patrols, and rapid response mechanisms to confront rising insecurity along the border—especially in light of long-standing unrest in Senegal’s Casamance region, where separatist factions remain active.
The ministers also pledged to fast-track the Diomaye Plan, a new joint strategy aimed at stabilizing Casamance through enhanced security, infrastructure development, and reintegration of former combatants. This latest move signals a deepening of security ties between the two West African nations, which have historically collaborated on regional peacekeeping and counter-terrorism efforts.
