The Red Guard of Senegal (French: ''Garde Rouge du Sénégal'') is a unit of the

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

ese

Gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

that is responsible for presidential security. It also has ceremonial duties and assists in general policing. It is very similar in concept to the French

Republican Guard A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wit ...

, with which it is officially twinned. The Red Guard is the direct descendant of a French colonial Spahi detachment sent to Senegal in 1845. This

spahi Spahis () were light-cavalry regiments of the French army recruited primarily from the indigenous populations of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The modern French Army retains one regiment of Spahis as an armoured unit, with personnel now r ...

unit is also known as the Red Guard of the Presidency (''Garde Rouge de la Présidence'') or Red Guard of Dakar. The name "Red Guard" is derived from their red tunics and

burnous A burnous ( ber, ⴰⴱⵔⵏⵓⵙ ), also burnoose, bournous or barnous, is a long cloak of coarse woollen fabric with a pointed hood, often white in colour, traditionally worn by Berber and other Maghrebi men. In the Maghreb, the colour of t ...

cloaks.

Background and heritage

French

Spahi Spahis () were light-cavalry regiments of the French army recruited primarily from the indigenous populations of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The modern French Army retains one regiment of Spahis as an armoured unit, with personnel now r ...

s were required to range over vast areas of the

Sahara desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

and in 1845 a squadron was sent to Saint-Louis du Sénégal in response to tribal conflicts on the banks of the Senegal river. This detachment became a Senegalese-recruited branch of the

s. The Senegalese Spahis saw extensive active service in French West Africa and in Morocco over a period of 80 years. These cavalry squadrons were disbanded in 1928 as a cost-saving measure but provided the basis for a newly raised mounted

gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

. In the twentieth century the Senegalese spahis were known as the "Colonial Guard" (''Garde coloniale'') of the "Colonial Gendarmerie". In 1960, on independence, the Colonial Guard was renamed "Presidential Guard" (''Garde présidentielle''), while the Colonial Gendarmerie as a whole became the

National Gendarmerie The National Gendarmerie (french: Gendarmerie nationale, ) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Minis ...

. The Red Guard places great emphasis on its heritage from the French empire, and considers itself "guardian of the traditions of the squadrons which distinguished themselves on countless battlefields in black Africa and Morocco, in the service of France" (''"la gardienne des traditions des escadrons qui s’illustrèrent sur d’innombrables champs de batailles, tant en Afrique Noire qu’au Maroc au nom de la France"'')

Organisation

The Red Guard is part of the Security Legion of the

Mobile Gendarmerie The Mobile Gendarmerie (french: Gendarmerie mobile) (GM) is a subdivision of the French National Gendarmerie whose main mission is to maintain public order (from crowd control to riot control) and general security. Contrary to the Departmental G ...

. It is divided into three "groups of squadrons", each consisting of two squadrons.

Presidential Guard Group of Squadrons

One squadron of this group works within the presidential palace, and the other in the vicinity of the palace.

Protection Group of Squadrons

This group is responsible for the close personal protection of the president.

Escorts and Services Group of Squadrons

This group consists of the Mounted Squadron and the Motorcycle Squadron.

Mounted Squadron

This is the premier ceremonial unit of the Red Guard. It is used for visits by foreign heads of state. The guard consists of 120 cavalrymen, including a mounted band of 35 musicians. Parades are led by the band, on white horses with their tails dyed red. There are three platoons in the squadron; the 1st and 3rd platoons are mounted on bay horses, the 2nd on white horses. The squadron also fulfils mounted police duties for the maintenance of public order, notably on beaches.

Motorcycle Squadron

This squadron provides a road escort for presidential convoys and for similar convoys (e.g. for the Senegalese prime minister and visiting dignitaries from abroad). The squadron can also provide ordinary traffic police services.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Senegalese Red Guard
The Red Guard - Official Presidential Website

Senegalese Protocol Horse Squadron Rehearsing for Xi’s Visit
Military of Senegal Law enforcement in Senegal Law of Senegal Guards of honour