Jihadist threat puts eastern Senegal on edge

Concerns rise in eastern Senegal as jihadist threats from Mali create anxiety among residents near the border.

Every time Senegalese mechanic Ibrahima Mbodj hears screeching tyres, a popping firecracker or even shattering glass, he fears another jihadist attack on the Malian border post near his village.

Senegal has remained unscathed by a series of jihadist attacks in Mali, but concern among residents is growing as the assaults inch closer to the border.

Gunfire early on July 1 awakened Mr. Mbodj and others in the Senegalese town of Kidira as the Malian village of Diboli, located directly across the border, came under attack.

The assault, which killed at least one civilian, was claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, known by its Arabic acronym JNIM.

Although jihadist attacks were long confined to northern and central Mali, they have expanded to the west in recent months, including areas along the nearly 500-kilometre (310-mile) Mali-Senegal border, which is generally porous.

According to a 2025 study by the Timbuktu Institute think tank, JNIM has been seeking to establish a foothold in Senegal from the shared border region of southwestern Mali, where its members have increased activities "exponentially".