Rising Islamist militants’ violence in the Sahel, a dynamic that dominates Africa’s fight against extremists

In 2021, Africa suffered a new record level of Islamist violence, driven by a 70% increase in violence linked to militant Islamist groups in the Sahel.

Strengths

  • The almost doubling of violence linked to militant Islamist groups in the Sahel (from 1,180 to 2,005 events) highlights the rapid escalation of the security threat in the region. This peak is the most important change among all regions prone to violence by militant Islamist groups in Africa. It eclipses a 30% reduction in violence in the Lake Chad Basin, northern Mozambique and North Africa.
  • Overall, violence related to militant Islamist groups increased by 10% in 2021, reaching a record level of over 5,500 events attributed to these groups in Africa. This has continued an upward trend since 2016. However, the annual rate of increase was, in 2021, much lower than the 43% increase reported in 2020.
  • The number of deaths attributed to militant Islamist groups fell by 7% in 2021 compared to 2020, reaching around 12,700 deaths across Africa. This includes a 14 per cent decrease in deaths attributed to violence against civilians and a decrease in all regions outside the Sahel.
  • Battles between militant Islamist groups and military forces or non-state armed groups constitute 52 per cent of the violent events counted in 2021. In recent years, this reflects the continuation of a significant increase in the number of battles in northern Mozambique, Somalia and the Sahel.
  • The violence of militant Islamist groups remains largely concentrated in five theatres – Somalia, the Lake Chad Basin, Mozambique, and North Africa – each including separate local actors and particular challenges.

LES GROUPES DJIHADISTES AU SAHELUNE COMMUNICATION GLOBALEÀ L’ÉPREUVE DES RÉALITÉS LOCALES

Cette étude analyse les dynamiques locales qui expliquent la résilience des groupes qualifiés de djihadistes et de terroristes en Afrique subsaharienne, notamment la Katiba Macina, AQMI (Al-Qaïda au Maghreb islamique), le Groupe de soutien à l’islam et aux musulmans, l’EIGS (État islamique au Grand Sahara) et Boko Haram. Centrée sur la partie occidentale de la bande sahélienne, elle ouvre aussi des perspectives comparatistes avec les Chebab de Somalie, du Kenya ou du Mozambique, ainsi que les ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) de l’est de la République démocratique du Congo.

‘Terrorist’ facilities in Syria, Iraq are legitimate targets for Turkey: Defense min

All facilities and activities of terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq will be “legitimate targets” for Turkey, Ankara’s defense minister Yasar Guler said.

“First of all, we want everyone to know that all facilities and activities of the PKK/KCK, PYD/YPG in Syria and Iraq will be our legitimate target from now on, as they have been so far,” Guler said as cited by state news agency Anadolu.

Iranian President Raisi Likely Doesn’t Believe His Own Rhetoric About The Zangezur Corridor

Even in the event that Azeri-Turkish economic connectivity is streamlined via a trans-Armenian corridor, then there’s no realistic way that this would function as a Trojan Horse for NATO since it would be protected by the Russian Border Guard Service per the Moscow-mediated November 2020 ceasefire. It’s even more ridiculous to imagine that he was referring to the second possibility of Azerbaijan and Turkiye conducting their trade through his own country since Iran is firmly opposed to NATO too.

Pakistan to Begin Deportation of 1.7 Million Undocumented Afghans

Pakistan has ordered all undocumented immigrants, including 1.7 million Afghans, to leave the country by November 1, vowing mass deportations for those who stay.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar approved the plan Tuesday at a high-level meeting of his top civilian and military officials in Islamabad.

Turkey expands crackdown, airstrikes against PKK as Erdogan lashes out at West

The Turkish Defense Ministry said 16 new targets, including caves, bunkers and warehouses in the northern Iraqi regions of Metina, Hakurk, Gara, Qandil and Assos, were destroyed in the strikes.

Turkey carried out on Tuesday fresh airstrikes in five northern Iraqi regions in retaliation for a suicide bombing in Ankara by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) over the weekend.

That’s The Truth?

So much sheer nonsense has been talked about the use of information and “facts” in political argument, that I thought it might be useful to make a modest attempt to set a few things out clearly, so as to reduce confusion, and explain how things actually work. I’m going to cover two issues: first, how we can think of “truth” in politics, and second, how governments handle information and the legal and political issues that surround it. I’m going to try to be as factual as possible, without getting drawn into controversy.