Gambia Protests Senegalese Military Incursion Over Border Fence

On Friday, Gambia voiced its "serious concern" following what its government described as a "serious provocative" incursion by Senegalese armed forces into its territory, during which a border military fence was demolished, according to a government statement cited by Agence France-Presse.

The demolished fence is located at Gambia's military border post in Boulok, in the southwest of the country, along a disputed border region between the two nations. Gambia is a small English-speaking West African country almost entirely surrounded by Senegal, except for its western coastline.

The government spokesperson stated that part of the fence at the Gambian base was "demolished without any prior consultation" on Thursday, expressing "serious concern about this unfortunate incident."

The statement added that "while Gambia considers this action a serious and completely unacceptable provocation, the government remains fully committed to resolving this issue peacefully through dialogue" and other diplomatic channels.

Gambia urged the Senegalese armed forces to "exercise the utmost restraint and ensure that any future matters related to the shared border are addressed exclusively through existing bilateral mechanisms."

In response, Senegal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Friday evening referring to "violations affecting the territorial integrity" of Senegal.

The Senegalese statement noted that "the area in question has been the subject of discussions among the competent authorities for years."