Africa

La Communauté économique des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (CEDEAO) et l’Union africaine (UA) auraient dû être plus visibles et plus décisives dans la lutte contre les groupes armés qui mènent régulièrement des attaques terroristes meurtrières au Mali, au Niger et au Burkina Faso, a estimé ce lundi à Dakar, le coordonnateur du Forum social sénégalais, Mamadou Mignane Diouf.

Tunisia’s interior ministry confirmed that security units had discovered, between February 10 and 22, three terrorist camps in the Kasserine Mountains in western Tunisia.

Violence amongst ethnic groups in Mali has sparked concern from human rights campaigners. The country experienced its deadliest year for civilians in 2019 since Mali’s political and military crisis in 2012. Jihadists from al-Qaeda and ISIS have been encouraging inter-ethnic attacks in the hopes of asserting their power throughout both the country and the West African region. In the past two years, these militants have also demonstrated their influence by forming an alliance called the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) and by establishing a new cell called the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. A new Human Rights Watch report has estimated that more than 456 people have died in the past year alone from the violence.

Political Situation

The United Nations said eastern Libyan forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar have refused to grant landing permits for flights bringing U.N. staff to and from Libya, a statement said on Wednesday. (Reuters, Canada, 12.02.2020)

A short video uploaded online appears to show a cadre of jihadists in Mali’s central Segou Region pledging allegiance to Abu Ibrahim al Hashimi al Qurayshi, the newly appointed leader of the Islamic State.

Human Rights Watch said there are about 200 Tunisian children born to ISIS members and who are in custody in camps abroad.

The authorities in Burkina Faso, struggling to grapple with a growing wave of Islamist militant attacks that is affecting the region, are planning to give weapons to civilians, as Louise Dewast reports.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the Pentagon does not intend to remove all its forces from Africa, amid concerns from allies that Washington could abandon the continent militarily while China and Russia “aggressively” look to increase their influence and as the extremist threat remains.

The dominant call by all participants at the Berlin Libya conference on 19 January addressed to all parties at war in Libya were, in order of importance; “a fair and equitable distribution of oil revenues”, “implement the UN arms embargo” and “stop using foreign mercenaries”.