By: Kemo Kanyi
The Inspector General of The Gambia Police Force, Seedy Muktarr Touray, has said that the visit to The Gambia of his Senegalese equivalent will consolidate the security cooperation between Banjul and Dakar, especially in the area of border control.
The Inspector General of the Senegalese police Gen. MamSeydou Ndour arrived in The Gambia on Wednesday in what was described as the first of its kind since 1994.
IGP Touray described Gen. Ndour’s visit as historic, acknowledging that it’s a significant development for Senegal and The Gambia as it would pave the path for more security agreements that would be mutually beneficial.
‘’The visit will give opportunity to both countries to share ideas for collaboration and cooperation. It will give us an avenue to discuss and work on bilateral agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that benefit both institutions[Senegalese and Gambia police forces] in protecting citizens,’’ IGP Touray stated.
The Gambia’s police chief pointed out that the collaborationbetween the Gambia and Senegalese police forces was made possible thanks to the interest and political will exhibited by the leaders of The Gambia and Senegal.
For his part, Gen. Ndour pointed out that the two nations shared bonds of culture, religion and belief, adding that the security collaboration between the two nations will foster law enforcement and allow the two forces to arrest fugitives of law.
“It will help us in our fight against drugs, stealing and other criminal activity within our borders. We recognized the need to fight this menace together because our individual countries cannot do it all alone. So, this cooperation is timely and highly appreciated by Senegalese government,’’ stated the Senegalese police chief.
Gen. Ndour said the security cooperation is in line with the ECOWAS protocol on border security, adding that the two countries can learn from each other through knowledge- sharing.
