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Quelling Robberies and Jihadists: The Vigilance Committee of Senegal

Esha Sarai

   MOUDERY, SENEGAL - In the Senegalese border town ofMoudery, a committee
   initially created to protect residents from robberies has taken on a
   new purpose in the wake of jihadist violence in neighboring Mali.

   In 2010, whenMouderyinaugurated its "Committee of Vigilance," the goal
   was mostly to identify unknown people who might rob homes in the
   wealthy Senegalese river town.

   Zakaria Ndiaye,one of the committee's founding members, said robberies
   had decreased since the committee was set up, because members perform
   nightly patrols and criminals are aware of the committee's presence on
   the ground.
   FousseynouDiallo, now the mayor ofMoudery, served in the army for more
   than 30 years before moving back and helping in the founding of the
   committee. He saidbecauseMouderyis uniquely positioned along the river
   that separates Senegal from Mauritania, criminals can flee from one
   side of the border to the other without being prosecuted. This
   position, along with its proximity to Mali, has made the town sensitive
   to criminal activity.
   The system for reducing crime in the village worked so well that
   members of the U.N.'s migration organization identified the program as
   a model for more border towns to secure their communities against the
   threat of jihadist violence.
   Six years after the committee was founded, officials of the
   International Organization for Migration reached out to Diallo and
   explained how they thought his committee could serve to identify
   potential jihadists entering the country.

   Not a militia
   The committee is also registered with Senegal's interior ministry,
   partially to keep it accountable. Diallo was firm that his committee is
   not law enforcement or a militia and that his members simply keep an
   eye on the town and ask any suspicious people for identification.
   But as ethnic tensions and jihadist violence in nearby Mali worsen, the
   city is also welcoming immigrants. After VOA interviewed the mayor, he
   left for a meeting with the Malians ofMouderyto discuss a recent
   festival honoring that country'sindependence day.

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