2023-07-01 10:29:43
After the violent clashes of last June, the information site Politis.fr carried out an investigation which reveals that France “continued to deliver weapons to Senegal to subdue its population after the violent repression of the opposition in 2021 . »
The investigation allowed said information site, which used images and videos published on social networks, to identify three types of tear gas canisters, four grenade launchers and at least one armored vehicle manufactured in France. According to Politis.Fr, this ammunition is supplied by Alsetex, of the Etienne-Lacroix group. It is one of the main French producers of tear gas canisters.
Better still, the news site reveals that Alsetex GM2L tear gas stun grenades were used on June 3 in Mbao by the defense and security forces. This, after having exploited an image provided by a witness. Between May 15 and June 3, 2023, these GM2L type grenades were also seen in Dakar and Ziguinchor.
The GM2L grenade, with 15 g of tear gas, explodes with a sound effect of 160 decibels at 10 meters. Above 135 decibels, serious irreversible hearing damage can occur. Better, this weapon is known in France to be the most powerful grenade in the arsenal of the FDS and to be responsible for several mutilations, reveals Politis.
On June 1, other Alsetex weapons, different from the GM2L, were also spotted in the Senegalese capital. This is the Cougar 12 made up of twelve guns rather than just one, it is not carried by hand, but is placed on the roof of a vehicle and can fire grenades in series. Here, it is placed on a French armored vehicle: the Dagger or PVP from the manufacturer Arquus. In 2017, Senegal bought 17.
Other companies have also supplied weapons, according to information from Politis.fr. At UCAD, on June 1, 2023, the day Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison for “youth corruption” in the Sweet Beauté case, “In a photo from the AFP agency, a policeman holds a grenade launcher in one hand. He also carries on him tear gas canisters identifiable to the DPR (Parliamentary Delegation for Intelligence) which protrude from his pockets. In the same place, this policeman is photographed, this time by AP, firing a CM6 tear gas canister from Alsetex. », selon Politis.
The grenade 56 is designed by the Lebel brand, security and defense branch of Verney-Carron, manufacturer of the famous French Flash-Ball also present in Senegal, according to said information site. And that’s not all ! The large type MP7 manufactured by the company Nobel Sport Sécurité manufactured in 2021 is also identified by Politis who questioned the marketing and sales manager of Alsetex. The latter refused to answer.
However, the French site indicates that France had to give the green light for these weapons to be used in Senegal. ” GM2L grenades and launchers fall into the category of weapons classified as war material. For Alsetex and Lebel, they then need to obtain a war material export license (LEMG) to sell in Senegal. Obtaining these authorizations goes through the Interministerial Commission for the Study of War Material Exports (CIEEMG), headed by the General Secretariat for Defense and National Security (SGDSN). In the end, it is the Prime Minister who directly issues the export license“, can we read in the information site Politis.
He adds that: ” each year, in a report to Parliament published by the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the number and amounts of war material export licenses are communicated. For Senegal, since 2016, 47,748,952 Eurosport licenses have been authorized for ML2 category equipment, which includes grenade launchers, and 118,813,231 euros for the ML3 category, which includes explosive grenades fired from a launcher. »
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#Riots #France #Arms #Senegal