Gambiaj.com – (Bakel, Senegal) – Senegalese authorities have imposed a nighttime ban on motorcycle movement in the eastern department of Bakel, citing heightened security concerns following jihadist attacks in neighboring Mali earlier this month.
According to an official decree released this week, the circulation of motorcycles and mopeds is prohibited in Bakel between midnight and 6:00 a.m. from July 24 to August 24, 2025. The order, issued by the prefect of Bakel, specifically excludes vehicles operated by medical personnel and security forces.
The restriction follows coordinated jihadist assaults on July 1 in several towns in western Mali, including Diboli, a town less than 500 meters from the Senegalese border town of Kidira. At least one civilian was killed in the attacks, which were claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda-affiliated organization.
The local administration declined to comment when contacted by AFP on Saturday, leaving questions about the timing of the order—more than three weeks after the attacks—unanswered.
Security analysts have raised growing concerns about jihadist expansion in the region. A recent report by the Timbuktu Institute, a Dakar-based think tank, warned that JNIM has been increasingly using southwestern Mali, particularly the Kayes region, as a rear base to infiltrate neighboring countries, including Senegal and Mauritania.
“The group’s activities have increased exponentially in the border zone,” the report stated, underscoring the growing threat to regional stability.
JNIM is currently considered the most influential jihadist faction in the Sahel, operating extensively in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, while steadily extending its reach toward Gulf of Guinea nations.
In response to this evolving threat, Senegal has bolstered its border security in recent years, conducting regular joint patrols with Malian forces. Mali, under military rule since two coups in 2020 and 2021, continues to face a dire security crisis marked by attacks from jihadist factions and intercommunal violence.
The latest curfew measure in Bakel reflects Dakar’s ongoing effort to insulate its territory from the instability spreading across the region.
