Former Nigerian President Jonathan during a Boko Haram meeting in Dakar
By Sanna Camara in Dakar
Senegalese authorities have scaled up operations against Boko Haram links in the Muslim-dominated West African state, leading to several arrests in the past two weeks.
A number of suspects have been arrested in and around Dakar as part of the Senegalese government’s drive to crackdown on the alleged Boko Haram collaborators in the West African country known for its peace and democratic culture.
Two Imams were arrested outside of Dakar and two women were also arrested in Guidiawaye, a suburb of Dakar. One of the Imams got arrested in Ziguinchor, and another in Kaolack, while a young man got arrested in Yoff, Dakar, all on suspicions of links to the Islamic militant group Boko Haram.
The suspects came under security radar and have been under surveillance as a result of their communications with a suspected Boko Haram fighter in Nigeria who was confirmed to be the husband of one of the suspected women, and brother to the other.
Security forces uncovered a consistent number of money transfers between the female suspects and their alleged Boko Haram fighter relatives for several months.
After their arrest, a search was conducted on their house and a cash of 500 million CFA Francs was found in their possession. “The fact that such an amount was in their possession instead of being in the bank further goes to confirm ties with the alleged ruthless terrorist group Boko Haram,” a security source was quoted as saying.
One of the Imams, Alioune Ndao has been under security radar for months as a result of his suspected links with Boko Haram. “His sermons have been strangely inclined towards instigating his congregation to Boko Haram ideologies,” the security source said.
Following his arrest, two satellite phones were also uncovered in his possession. A scrutiny of the call history revealed consistent communications with members of the Boko Haram movement in Nigeria, and another Imam, who later got arrested too in Ziguinchor.
Also in the city of Dakar itself, the suspected young man who got arrested was next of kin to a confirmed Boko Haram fighter in Nigeria. “He has also been receiving a lot of money transfers from Nigeria after the death of his brother who was fighting for the group, security sources confirmed.
Besides its democratic culture in the past decades, Senegal is also known for its religious tolerance, marred by the spread of various traditional Islamic brotherhoods and sects across the country. Which is why the Senegalese president Macky Sall told a peace and security conference in Dakar on Monday that Islamic militants should not be allowed to “impose another form of religion” that does not “correspond to our traditions or our conceptions of Islam.”
The arrests of these alleged Boko Haram links marks a new front in the fight against ruthless terrorist group set to expand its tentacle into other vulnerable parts of Africa. Boko Haram has attracted world wide attention when it embarked on massive terrorists attacks in Nigeria including kidnapping and rapping of hundreds of school girls and women. This new front is significant especially given large Muslim population in Senegal and the subregion. It would be much easier to radicalize young men and women through enticements and other forms of benefits.
It is however important to note that most Muslims in West Africa particularly Senegal and the Gambia do not subscribe to radical Islam. Many are very moderate and would certain cooperate in ridding their communities of Boko Haram fighters. The trend however has been increasing when small groups of so called Muslim preachers go around West Africa from Village to village with young men preaching radical Islam. This has been going on for quite a while with little or no suspicion that it could turn them into radical jihadist. It is extremely important for Senegal to start cracking down on these extremists groups as the ECOWAS borders are much more porous per ECOWAS protocol.