Senegal said on Monday it had arrested five people suspected of links to Nigerian militant group Boko Haram – a development that could mark a significant expansion of the movement’s operations.
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According to witnesses, the suicide bombers were women.
In one of the most recent Boko Haram attacks in the country, at least 41 people died when suicide bombers attacked a weekly market in October in Baga Sola.
Chad has been instrumental in helping Nigeria retake most of the areas Boko Haram had seized in northern Nigeria.
Senegal, a majority-Muslim country, has traditionally been a bulwark of stability in the region.
The source told Xinhua by phone that two girls blew themselves up around 13:00 local time near a mosque in Fotokol, where a similar attack took place on July 12, leaving at least 14 people killed.
Chad was instrumental in forcing Boko Haram to cede territory earlier this year, undermining its six-year campaign to carve out a Nigerian caliphate.
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“From now on, what we need to focus on is how to establish a new model of governance that does not create the frustration that fuels these armed groups”, said Laurent Bigot, a regional analyst and former French diplomat.
