A European Union-funded project has trained 12 members of Senegal’s gendarmerie and national police in Dakar as tactical snipers and intervention dog handlers.
The training was delivered under the Public Spaces+ project, implemented by FIAP and Spain’s Guardia Civil with Senegalese partners, the European Commission disclosed on Wednesday.
Three gendarmes and three police officers were trained as tactical snipers, while three gendarmes and three police officers trained to handle intervention dogs.
Sessions took place at the École Nationale de Police in Mermoz and the Centre d’instruction cynotechnique de la Gendarmerie Nationale in Mbao.
Eight Senegalese instructors who completed a similar programme in Spain in November 2025 led the training, accompanied by two instructors from the Guardia Civil’s anti-terrorist unit.
The programme used a “train-the-trainer” approach — where participants are trained to teach others — and included practical instruction on skills used by canine units and sniper teams during deployments and protection at large-scale events.
Youth Olympic Games to be held in late 2026
Senegal is set to host the IV Youth Olympic Games from 31 October to 13 November 2026, and the country’s security capabilities will be tested during the event, the Commission said.
The project also includes exercises, equipment donations and operational study visits.
Senegal borders the Central Sahel region, described as a major hotspot for terrorist activity, with groups including JNIM and ISIS operating in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
