In the Sahel, jihadist movements wreak havoc threatening further destabilisation | | AW

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

52% : Both countries have been run by military governments since coups carried out between 2020 and 2022.
52% : The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims known by its Arabic acronym JNIM, affiliated with al-Qaeda, is the most influential group in both countries and the "most significant threat in the Sahel", according to the UN.
50% : Heads of state of Mali's Assimi Goita, Niger's General Abdourahamane Tiani and Burkina Faso's Captain Ibrahim Traore attend the first ordinary summit of heads of state and governments of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in Niamey, Niger July 6, 2024. Jihadists in Africa's Sahel region have doubled the scope of their attacks in recent years and now operate in an area twice the size of Spain, leading to 77,000 deaths, according to recent data.
45% : They also use various means to finance themselves, such as kidnapping for ransom, cattle rustling and collecting an "Islamic tax". Islamic extremists militants still severely impact large swathes of Burkina Faso and Mali, imposing roadblocks, launching attacks and cutting off supply lines as they expand their decade-long presence, according to residents' testimonies. Several towns in central and northern Burkina Faso are currently under blockade by jihadists and army supply lines are regularly targeted.
40% : About four million people are now displaced across Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and neighbouring countries, around two-thirds more than five years ago, reflecting the insecurity, limited access to services and effects of climate change, the UN said this month.

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