According to Senegalese Press agency, more than fifty hectares of Indian hemp fields worth more than two billion CFA francs were destroyed by the national army in villages of Sindian, department of Bignona.
“The operation was carried out by the commando battalion responsible for this sector, with the support of the 25th reconnaissance battalion and the 25th engineer combat company,” a press release revealed on Saturday.
The document reveals that the operation is the continuation of a diverse actions conducted by the armed forces in the area to face the increase in illicit trafficking and the criminal economy.
“Several fields of Indian hemp were destroyed in Dieye, Djiondji, and Massaran,” the text said about the localities of Bignona that hosted such illegal activities.
This large-scale operation was launched on October 7, with the aim to destroy the hemp fields in Djibidione, Dieye, Djiondji, Massaran, Balla Bassene and Niale, villages considered to be the epicenter of hemp cultivation, located north of the commune of Sindian, department of Bignona.
Equally, wood trafficking is another top priority of the security forces in this area and was included in this operation through which the army is dogged “to neutralize any armed element and arrest traffickers found on the premises.”
The National Army also indicates that “the widespread cultivation of hemp has not only deprived the brave populations of their arable land but above all mortgaged the future of many young people who have left school to devote themselves to this very lucrative activity”.
“It creates real security issues in this region bordering Gambia, because of the problems linked to drug trafficking,” the note added.
Ultimately, “it is about returning to the populations their dispossessed lands in order to relaunch legal activities and guarantee freedom of movement in this area.”
However, the army wishes to reiterate that it “is resolutely committed to supporting the irreversible process of the return of populations but remains determined to halt the expansion of the criminal economy with its devastating socio-economic and environmental consequences.
About two years ago, the national army carried out large-scale operations to neutralize the main rebel bases, thus reinforcing the calm noted in this part of the country and encouraging the return of displaced persons to their villages of origin.
