Mali and Senegal have connected their national fiber backbones across the Kidira–Diboli border, creating a new direct route for data traffic between the two countries.

Mali’s government says SMTD-SA and Sénégal Numérique-SA inaugurated the link on October 5 under the West African National Backbone Network. Senegal’s APS news agency separately confirmed the commissioning.

For landlocked Mali, the link adds another path toward international networks reached through Senegal. Mali says the connection can improve route redundancy, allowing traffic to be redirected if another corridor fails. SMTD-SA says its domestic public fiber network already spans more than 3,500 kilometers.

The new route also strengthens the connection between inland networks and submarine systems serving West Africa. BitcoinVersus has recently covered how undersea internet cables are built, why cable repairs take time, and new optical technology moving into subsea networks.

The broader goal is a more interconnected West African backbone with multiple routes between national networks rather than isolated systems.