Farewell ceremony of General Mbaye Cissé: The honors of the Republic
The Republic paid, yesterday, at Camp Dial Diop in Dakar, a well-deserved tribute to General Mbaye Cissé. After 39 years in the army, he signed his departure from active service.
On the parade ground of Camp Dial Diop in Dakar, white capitals, decorated with the colors of the Nation, welcome civil and military guests, families and loved ones who have come to attend the farewell ceremony of the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Mbaye Cissé. At the end of the speech by the Minister of the Armed Forces, General Cissé, in front of the flags and in the presence of his brothers in arms, rises from his seat for the last salute in front of the flags. His uniform, impeccably fitted, bears the insignia of a long career shaped by duty.
Its serene appearance testifies to the confidence of a destiny guided by discipline. Accompanied by the solemn sound of fanfares, he advances with a measured and assured step. The moment, suspended in time, is imbued with emotion. After having gone around the standards, he takes the voice which leads him to his gleaming vehicle, symbol of the end of a chapter and the passing of the baton. He now passes the torch to Vice-Admiral Oumar Wade, who will be installed in his new role as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces on February 17. Previously, in the solemn setting of the memory room of the Dial Diop camp in Dakar, an important page in history was written with the signing of the guestbook by the army general, outgoing Chief of General Staff of the Armies. He expressed his deep gratitude to the supreme leader of the armed forces, the Minister of the Armed Forces, as well as all major commands and partners. He also praised their commitment, both on national territory and abroad. General Cissé also recalled the cardinal values which must guide every soldier, namely honor, discipline and a high sense of duty.
He urged the troops to remain “united in effort” and “exemplary in conduct” so that the army remains what it has always been, that is to say a pillar of stability and confidence for the Senegalese nation. Born in 1964 in Kaolack, Army General Mbaye Cissé was appointed head of the armed forces on April 6, 2023 and officially installed on April 24, 2023. Yesterday’s farewell ceremony thus marks the end of his command and his departure from active service after nearly 39 years under the flags. A brilliant intellectual, he attended prestigious schools in Senegal, France and the United States, notably the 9th promotion of Enoa de Thiès (1988 1990), the Draguignan Artillery School in France and that of Fort Sill in the United States. His brilliant results opened the doors to the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth and the Joint Defense College in Paris. His career is marked by commands within the artillery battalion and stays in internal and external operations. After commanding military zone No. 2 (2016-2019), he was chief of staff of Cemga, then appointed Director General of the Center for Advanced Defense and Security Studies (Cheds), in July 2020, before becoming Chief of the Private Staff of the President of the Republic in October 2022.
Ibrahima Khaliloullah NDIAYE & Aliou DIOUF (texts), Photos: Assane SOW
