Macky Sall, who chaired his last Armed Forces Day yesterday, did not hide his emotion when bidding farewell to the soldiers whose condition he improved in all sectors.
Behind the mask, he has a wet eye. Dressed in a blue suit, Macky Sall reviews the troops at Camp Dial Diop. He is overcome by emotion as he presides over Armed Forces Day for the last time. We feel it in his voice: “Armed Forces Day offers us, each year, the solemn opportunity to come together around the values of the State, the Nation and the Republic; values to which our Army, in all its components, remains unfailingly attached.”
For the Supreme Leader of the Armed Forces, it is a capital moment for the country. “The day that brings us together here is not a simple ritual. Beyond the ceremonial, it is above all an opportunity for introspection on the vocation of the soldier in society, because our Armed Forces, through their method of recruitment throughout the national territory, without any discrimination, embody the Nation in all its diversity. Hence the very relevance of the Army-Nation concept, which inspires the theme of this edition: “The Armed Forces at the heart of national cohesion,” explains President Sall, who is now multiplying his farewell tours. Because, on April 2, his successor will take the oath to become supreme leader of the Armed Forces.
Over the past 12 years, he has strived to have a close relationship with them. In terms of investments. Treatment. And training. The National Naval School, inaugurated in June 2022, is the last military building that had to be built to complete the school map of the Armed Forces: there is the Air Force School, that of the firefighters, the War School, officers, staff… Without forgetting the existing ones such as the National School of Active Officers (Enoa), the National School of Active Non-Commissioned Officers (Ensoa ), of the Air Force. Under Macky Sall, bodies which did not have a training centre obtained their academic independence.
No doubt, this vision of the President is linked to his past as Minister of the Interior. At home, there is this investment in infrastructure and human resources, beyond the ever-increasing budget of the Defense and Security Forces, the massive recruitment of agents, the increases in compensation, which reminf us odd the security emergencies in a turbulent sub-region.
Goudiry, Fatick, Louga, Fongolimbi, Maka… For several years, the Army and the gendarmerie have been rewriting the security map by creating new military cantonments and gendarmerie brigades. From East to West, from North to South, via the Centre, the network of the national territory is a reality. The Goudiry military camp, located in eastern Senegal, on the Malian border, hosts the 4th Recognisance and Infantry Battalion of the Army. For example, it makes it possible, in conjunction with other Security Forces, to fight more effectively against insecurity and cross-border threats. Without forgetting the new ones erected in Némading (Fatick) and Nguidila (Louga). What can explain this accelerated militarization of several zones? Obviously, the explosive situation in the sub-region, where terrorists are active, pushes all countries to readjust their security strategy to deal with transnational threats. Faced with the expansion of the Malian conflict in the Sahel region and the threat it poses to coastal regions of West Africa such as Senegal, it is obvious that the response capacity of soldiers is strengthened.
During the ceremony, the President of the Republic proceeded to the baptism of the 55th promotion of cadets from the Military Health School (Ems) and the 42nd promotion of cadets from the National School of Officers of active (Enoa) of Thiès. Surrounded by the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, at the end of the ceremony he shook the hands of senior officers and officers, crosses the ranks to greet other soldiers. Watch out! Without worrying about the rigors of protocol. He visits the Armed Forces Museum, comes out and stops in front of other FDS agents. Flanked by the Chief of Defense Staff, the High Commander of the gendarmerie, who accompany him towards his car, which moves at a step, he drags on in the middle of the courtyard of Camp Dial Diop. He continues to walk on the red carpet next to Generals Mbaye Cissé and Moussa Fall, who escort him to the exit where he bids farewell to the Army HQ. Close the ranks, a page turns!
By Dieynaba KANE / dkane@lequotidien.sn
- Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH
