Senegal has implemented a nighttime ban on motorcycles in its eastern Bakel region due to escalating insurgent activity across the border in Mali.
This security measure follows recent attacks where militants utilized motorbikes to target military positions in Malian towns.
A decree, published earlier this week, explicitly cited “security reasons” for the midnight-to-dawn prohibition.
This decision comes after deadly assaults on July 1 in several Malian towns, which resulted in at least one civilian fatality.
Notably, the Malian town of Diboli is situated less than 500 meters from Kidira, a town in Senegal.
The motorcycle ban specifically covers Senegal’s Bakel region, an area stretching approximately 230 kilometers (140 miles) along the shared border with Mali.
Local Bakel authorities declined to comment on the new restriction when contacted by AFP on Saturday.
The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamist group, claimed responsibility for the July 1 attacks in Mali.
JNIM is highly active across Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso and has emerged as the most significant insurgent threat in the Sahel, according to the United Nations.
Analysts suggest JNIM harbors ambitions to extend its reach into both Senegal and Mauritania.
Mali, currently governed by a junta after coups in 2020 and 2021, has endured over a decade of severe insecurity and violence.
This unrest largely stems from groups affiliated with both Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.