In Ghana, Sahel jihadis find refuge and supplies, sources say

Islamist militants fighting in Burkina Faso are discreetly using Ghana’s north as a logistical and medical rear base to sustain their insurgency, seven sources told Reuters, a move that could help them expand their footprint in West Africa. The sources, Read More …

North Dakota Army National Guard Soldiers partner with Togo, Benin soldiers to counter IEDs

Two U.S. Army Soldiers from the North Dakota National Guard visited African countries Togo and Benin Feb. 6-17, 2023, to exchange best practices in countering improvised explosive devices with Togalese Armed Forces and Benin Armed Forces. U.S. Army Staff Sgts. Read More …

Ghana: Attempted bombing in Bawku area fuels jihadist fears

Criminals in northern Ghana tried to blow up a bridge using explosives for the first time in a region where the government fears growing violent spillover from a jihadist war across the border in Burkina Faso, a top official said. Read More …

Togolese army repels ‘terrorist’ attack, says official

Togo’s armed forces said Tuesday they had repelled a “terrorist” attack that injured “several” soldiers in the far northern village of Blamonga on the border with Burkina Faso. The attack, which took place on Monday, was the fifth in the Read More …

Togo: Eight soldiers killed in the Kpendjal prefecture, raising spectre of first deadly Islamist attack

Eight soldiers were killed and 13 wounded in an attack in northern Togo on Wednesday, the government said, marking potentially the first deadly raid on its territory by Islamist militants who have killed thousands in neighbouring countries. Before dawn, a Read More …

AQIM’s Imperial Playbook: Understanding al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb’s Expansion into West Africa

In 2021, the United Nations noted the newfound threats of the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), a branch of al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), that extended into Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast, stretching farther yet Read More …

The fledgling insurgency in Burkina’s east

Since February this year, a new battlefront has emerged in eastern Burkina Faso (ACLED, 2018), in the Est Region situated along the borders with Niger, Benin, and Togo is regarded as a bastion of banditry. However, militancy is a new Read More …