In commemorating its 47th independence anniversary, yesterday, the Republic of Senegal has for the first time, put gender issues in the center stage of the ceremonial festivities.

Considering that men's monopoly on security matters is no more relevant, the Senegalese govrnment has decided to make a positive move in recruiting massively more women in the army and other security corps.
Speaking to journalists shorly after the military procession, President Abdoulaye Wade expressed his commitment to open the Army's doors to women so as to enable them to play their role in defending their country's sovereignty. ''For the first time, women other than nurses, will serve within the ranks of the Senegalese Army'', he hinted.

laborating on this revolution, he said, ''both the army and the Senegalese public initially had difficulty accepting the concept of women in uniform''. However, political and military leaders realised that women could supply the additional resources so desperately needed in the military. According to him, this move is highly motivated by the need to be in line with modernity. As the guest speaker, President Muhammar Gadhafi of Lybia made a vibrant call on Africans leaders to speed up the creation of a "Continental Army".

According to the leader of Arab Jamariyah of Lybia, it is a moral obligation for African countries, as this is the only way to tackle the issue of security at the continental level. "In failing to do so, we'll inexorably commit suicide in face of history", he voiced out. In another development, the Senegalese has laid the foundation stone of the future Blaise Diagne International Airport, located in N'diass, 55km from Dakar. Considered as one the big projects of his second term, this new airport requires CFA200 billions francs and will help to boost the aviation sector.