Senegal - IOM, in partnership with the Senegalese government, will tomorrow (30/11) organize a large-scale displacement simulation exercise in Dagana, St. Louis region, on the border with Mauritania. 

The aim of the exercise is to prepare participants for a crisis situation at the border by fostering cooperation and communication between border communities, administrative authorities, security forces and health and emergency services. Some 500 people are expected to take part.

An earlier simulation exercise was held in Matam in the North Eastern region, also on the Mauritanian border, in February 2016. It also involved some 500 people and brought together different communities, authorities, security forces and health and emergency services.

The active engagement of border communities in humanitarian and security crisis management, where there are displaced populations, is essential. Their involvement enhances the responsiveness of the security and emergency health services.

“Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of institutions in charge of securing national borders by involving the local people in specific scenarios. We hope it will be useful to both the communities and the security forces, and will contribute to closer links between the people and those who are responsible for protecting them,” said IOM Senegal project coordinator Massimo Ramanzin.

The Dagana simulation exercise is part of a US-funded IOM project: Engaging Communities in Border Management and Border Security in Senegal.

For more information, please contact Massimo Ramanzin at IOM Senegal, Tel: +221 33 869 62 00, Email: codakar@iom.int