Gambiaj.com – (NJAU, The Gambia) – A joint sensitisation team from The Gambia-Senegal Boundary Commission is set to begin engaging border communities in CRR this Friday October 9 as the two countries intensify efforts to reaffirm and improve the visibility of their shared boundary.
The team held a preparatory meeting in Njau on Thursday ahead of the exercise, which aims to ensure clearer boundaries and improve the identification and visibility of boundary pillars along the frontier.
The initiative is expected to promote peaceful coexistence, prevent conflicts, strengthen cross-border cooperation and security, and support sustainable development in communities along the Gambian-Senegalese border.
The latest development comes as the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) highlights the importance of identifying and protecting the historic pillars that have marked the boundary between the two countries for more than a century.
A new boundary pillar marking the Gambia–Senegal border as part of the new demarcation process
Protecting a 120-year-old boundary system
In the Western Region, the NCAC recently shared a photograph of an intact colonial boundary pillar at Kanjibina Village in Foni Berefet, drawing attention to the distinctive design of the structures and the need to preserve them.
According to the center, its archives confirm that all 61 colonial boundary pillars erected along the Gambian-Senegalese border between 1904 and 1905 by the Anglo-French Boundary Commission share the same design and dimensions.
The original pillars were constructed entirely from cement and stone, without iron reinforcement. An intact pillar consists of three main sections: a base, a middle section, and a cap, held together by stone joints.
The NCAC cautioned that other types of pillars are also found in border areas, including geodetic markers and more recent district boundary pillars, making proper identification important in efforts to protect the historic structures.
Cooperation to prevent border disputes
The ongoing reaffirmation and densification exercise is intended to strengthen territorial clarity and reduce the risk of disputes along the frontier. By improving the visibility and identification of boundary markers, the two countries hope to reinforce their shared commitment to peaceful relations and cooperation.
The NCAC noted that the current collaboration between the Gambian and Senegalese boundary commissions echoes the work undertaken by British and French authorities more than a century ago to establish the boundary.
The community sensitization exercise is expected to help residents understand the importance of the boundary pillars and their role in preserving the internationally recognized border.
Beyond clarifying the territorial limits of both countries, the initiative seeks to strengthen relations between communities whose social and economic lives often extend across the frontier.
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