The bilateral exercise XARITOO 2022, “friendship” in Wolof, took place from October 19 to 21, 2022 in Senegal. On Ngazobil beach, a large-scale Franco-Senegalese maneuver involved substantial human and material resources, acting in all three areas. This exercise allowed us to consolidate our partnership and demonstrate our interoperability.
On October 20, on Ngazobil beach, in the western part of the town of Joal-Fadiouth, clearance divers from the Senegalese navy conducted a reconnaissance mission of the landing site, scheduled for the next morning. Once the beach was secured and equipped, Senegalese infantry and tank landing craft (EDIC) and French rapid amphibious landing craft (EDAR) landed the units in order to achieve the assigned objectives. The Senegalese armed forces and the GTE Hermès (21st RIMa) maneuvered together while the amphibious helicopter carrier Tonnerre and the buildings of the Senegalese navy jointly controlled the maritime space.
From the beach, Major General Philippe Dia, Inspector General of the Senegalese Armed Forces monitored the execution of the maneuver, alongside General Étienne du Peyroux, Commander of the French Elements in Senegal (EFS).
The level of interoperability achieved by our two armies makes it possible to organize complex exercises, in partnership, with coordinated joint resources.
This exercise also highlights the interest of operation CORYMBE in the Gulf of Guinea, in particular thanks to the presence of the amphibious helicopter carrier Tonnerre.
As a regional cooperation center for West Africa, the EFS carry out training and training missions for the benefit of local armies, at the request of partner countries. These training courses are part of a real strategy aimed at consolidating the operational level of the units. The objective is to be able, together, to generate employment armies capable of producing significant and lasting operational effects in the face of the security crises affecting the sub-region.
