ABIDJAN: Terrorists have intensified their offensives in the Sahel region in recent weeks, carrying out bloody raids in Mali, incursions into major cities in Burkina Faso and inflicting heavy army losses in Niger.
The three Sahel states鈥� military juntas, who had pledged during the coups that brought them to power to make security a priority, are struggling to contain the advance of extremists, who are threatening more than ever neighboring countries on the west African coast.
The last few weeks have been particularly deadly in the Sahel.
Several hundred soldiers have been killed in various attacks.
鈥淭he global vision of regional terrorism is changing. There is an ideological aspect, but also an ethnic one,鈥� said Lassina Diarra of the International Counter-Terrorism Academy in Jacqueville, Ivory Coast.
鈥淓xtremist leaders declared in March their intent to intensify attacks against national armies to prevent a genocide against the Fulani community.鈥�
Military violence targeting civilians 鈥� particularly the Fulani, often singled out in the Sahel region and accused of feeding the extremists鈥� ranks 鈥� 鈥渉as exacerbated grievances and played into extremists鈥� narratives,鈥� said the Soufan Center think tank in a brief.
It also highlighted 鈥渁 broader strategy to degrade public confidence in state forces, boost recruitment.鈥�
鈥淭here is also a question of competition for territory,鈥� Diarra added.
The capitals of Mali and Burkina Faso 鈥渁re surrounded,鈥� said Diarra.
For Gilles Yabi, founder of the West African think tank Wathi, it is important to remain cautious of 鈥渃atastrophic鈥� predictions.
The extremists鈥� 鈥渕ain advantage is their mobility and ability to move and blend with populations,鈥� he said.
鈥淚n Burkina Faso, we cannot rule out a Somalia-like scenario, with a capital that resists while the rest of the country is out of control,鈥� said a Western military source.
The juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger came to power through coups between 2020 and 2023 and are now united in a confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States.