Le Burkina Faso est le pays africain le plus touché par le terrorisme

Selon le dernier rapport de l’indice 2023 du terrorisme mondial, le nombre de victimes d’attaques terroristes dans la région du Sahel a augmenté de plus de 2 000 % au cours des 15 dernières années. Le Burkina Faso est le 1er pays sur le continent et le 2ème pays au monde le plus touché selon l’Indice mondial du terrorisme (GTI) 2023, un rapport publié par l’Institut pour l’économie et la paix (IEP).

Why Force Fails

The Dismal Track Record of U.S. Military Interventions

American soldiers have been deployed abroad almost continuously since the end of World War II. The best-known foreign interventions—in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq—were large, long, and costly. But there have been dozens of other such deployments, many smaller or shorter, for purposes ranging from deterrence to training. Taken as a whole, these operations have had a decidedly mixed record. Some, such as Operation Desert Storm in 1991, which swept the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait, largely succeeded. But others—such as those in Somalia, Haiti, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and elsewhere—were disappointments or outright failures. It is these unsuccessful post–Cold War interventions that have engendered serious doubts among policymakers and the public about the role of force in U.S. foreign policy.

Release of Hostages in West Africa Highlights Important Role of Partnerships

  • On March 20, American aid worker Jeff Woodke was released following over six years in captivity in West Africa; Olivier Dubois, a French journalist abducted in 2021 by an Al-Qaeda-linked group was also released on Monday.
  • Officials have reaffirmed that the “kidnap for ransom” (KFR) model in the region has largely been about revenue generation rather than ideology; however, captor networks can engage in long drawn-out engagements that can stretch the resources of states.
  • The release of Woodke and Dubois come amidst growing concern about security in the Sahel region, as ISIS and Al-Qaeda affiliated groups continue to sow violence and instability against the background of reduced international counterterrorism focus.
  • Woodke’s release also reaffirms the importance of finding alternative pathways to resolve hostage situations beyond the traditional hostage rescue operations, and the value of partnerships between governments and private entities.

Burkina Faso most affected African country by terrorism: Report

Country registered 50% climb in deaths in 2022 compared to 2021, says global terrorism index

Burkina Faso is the most affected by terrorism on the African continent and the second most-affected worldwide in 2022, according to the latest global terrorism report that was released Tuesday.

Africa Could Benefit From Dynamics Of Russian Education – OpEd

On March 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at the International Parliamentary Conference Russia – Africa in a Multipolar World, held in Moscow under the auspices of the State Duma of the Russian Federal Assembly. “This conference is undoubtedly important in the context of the continued development of Russia’s multifaceted cooperation with the countries of the African continent. We also consider this event a key part of the preparations for the upcoming second Russia-Africa summit scheduled to be held in St Petersburg in July,” he said.

Niger’s army eliminates 20 Boko Haram militants near border with Nigeria

The Nigerien army has killed 20 Boko Haram fighters near the border with Nigeria, AFP news agency reported.

Military operations bulletin in the Diffa region (south-east of Niger) consulted by the agency indicated that the army last week wiped out in an “air-land sweep” operation the bases of the Islamic State in West Africa group (ISWAP, a splinter faction of Boko Haram) installed in the Matari forest in Nigeria from where attacks against towns and military positions in Niger are planned.

The bulletin also notes that the operation aimed to “maintain pressure on ISWAP” and “cut its supply lines”. Some 20 “terrorists have been reportedly neutralized” and “83 suspected Boko Haram terrorists” were captured and handed over to the Nigerian authorities.

The operation was conducted from March 13 to 19 by the Nigerien military of the Mixed Multinational Force (MMF) an 8,500-strong force launched in July 2015 by Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon, to fight armed jihadist groups. In a separate note, the army claims to have intercepted and handed over to Nigerien authorities a total of 1,121 suspected Boko Haram members, including women and children.

These people live in the Sambissa forest in northeastern Nigeria and travel to the Nigerian islands of Lake Chad to flee fighting with their rivals in the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap).

On March 11, it had also killed “some 30 terrorists” who refused to surrender.

Somalia: Al-Shabaab suffers massive losses in Jubaland

Jubaland state continued with operations against Al-Shabaab even in the middle of a planned slow-down by the federal government, targeting the militants in the latest offensive which comes days after the Jana Cabdalle battle which left several militants dead just weeks after the town was taken by the group.

Out of Africa: Financial Networks of Islamic State 2.0

The killing of a prominent Islamic State financier in Somalia sheds light on the group’s transnational financial networks and shifting centre of gravity.

On 25 January 2023, US special forces killed well-known extremist Bilal Al-Sudani, together with nine associates, in northern Somalia. This has drawn media and expert attention to the role Somalia plays as a piece in the international jihadi jigsaw. Somalia is important not just because of the presence of Al-Shabaab but also because of the globally networked structure that Islamic State (IS) has created for finance and other purposes.