Senegal and Mali have renewed their commitment to closer military collaboration as insecurity in the sub-region intensifies and jihadist attacks edge closer to Senegal’s northeastern frontier.
Senegal’s Minister of the Armed Forces , General Birame Diop, On Wednesday, met in Dakar with a Malian military delegation led by Colonel-Major Oumarou Maïga, a senior adviser at Mali’s Ministry of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
According to official sources, the discussions centered on strengthening defense ties between the two neighboring states, whose security institutions have a long history of cooperation.
The visit comes at a critical moment for Mali, which is grappling with a severe fuel shortage triggered by embargoes and repeated attacks on supply convoys by the jihadist coalition Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
The escalation of violence has strained Mali’s logistics and pushed security concerns closer to Senegal’s borders, especially after a JNIM attack in July near the town of Diboli, just under two kilometers from Senegalese territory.
Since early 2025, Dakar and Bamako have intensified joint initiatives in security, diplomacy, and economic collaboration.
