evening television news indicated that Senegal and the United States
have signed an intelligence information sharing pact on the activities
of The Gambia’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and other military
sources close to it. Below is the statement published verbatim:“After denying any role in the apparent coup attempt in The Gambia,
in which armed foreign dissidents attacked the Presidential Palace on
Tuesday morning, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Senegalese military
intelligence including the civil intelligence have signed an
intelligence pact on sharing and safeguarding sensitive information on
The Gambia’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and other military
sources close to the NIA.
Under the new bilateral pact, finalised on Friday 2nd January 2015,
Senegal will share intelligence via the US Intelligence Agencies on
The Gambia where the US cannot or may not have access to The Gambian
Intelligence Agency or other security installations. Intelligence
secrets signed are divided into; first, second and third level
classified information, but Senegalese will have to provide the
information level whether it’s classified material or not to the US on
The Gambia.
The pact also included logistic support and training to be provided by
the US intelligence to the Senegalese intelligence concerned or
recommended by the Senegalese Security authorities. Information
sharing among them on The Gambia will also allow for a more effective
response to future provocations and during contingencies where
necessary. It is also understood that Senegalese intelligence will
have to provide the US with some of the operations and arrest made
during the recent coup attempt in The Gambia, as the US may find it
difficult to have such access.
The bilateral pact signed will use Senegal as a hub for information
gathering and US intelligence will treat such information seriously on
The Gambia, and will further advise their US officials on such
information gathered by Senegalese intelligence on The Gambia. The US
intelligence will further seek to know who trains the NIA, and how
their training is being conducted and on what areas of training they
normally do.”]]>