Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Militant armed groups linked to the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISIS) are continuing their operations in West Africa and an attack by suspected Islamist extremists on a camp outside Gao, a camp housing individuals fleeing violence in northern Mali, killed 11, officials said Thursday. The attackers also destroyed food stocks in the camp and stole all the livestock, said Sadou Diallo, the former mayor of Gao. The United Nations confirmed the Monday attack in a statement, although it has not yet been reported by authorities in Gao region. “Those [internal displaced persons] fleeing insecurity are doubly affected by the violence of this attack, which exacerbates their vulnerability,” said Alain Nodhou, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the attack bore the hallmarks of militants Associated with ISIS in the Greater Sahara, targeting civilians in the regions of Gao and Menaka. The attack near Gao came amid growing fears of extremist violence in Mali following the departure of French forces earlier this year after nine years of helping fight militants in the West African country. France's departure came amid deteriorating relations with Colonel Asimi Guetta, who took power in Mali two years ago. Earlier. The United Kingdom recently announced that it would withdraw 300 peacekeepers from Mali, saying the country's increasing reliance on Russian mercenaries was undermining stability. The attack came hours after the conclusion of a conference of leaders of countries participating in the Acre initiative to combat violent extremism. European Union President Charles Michel participated in the conference and delivered a speech in which he emphasized the European commitment to providing support to African countries to combat terrorism.
Five West African countries—Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo—established the Accra Initiative in 2017 in order to cooperate against violent extremism in the region. Mali and Niger were accepted as observers before becoming members in 2019. The program promotes information sharing, and training of security personnel. intelligence, and military operations across borders in an often volatile region.
Speaking to Voice of America on the sidelines of last week's conference in Accra, Ben Diry, executive secretary of the Accra Initiative, said cooperation between countries is essential in the fight against terrorism. Adding, we will maintain trust through our efforts and close cooperation between the member states of the Accra Initiative and some of the partners already working in the region, so that we all know that one group of people cannot function without another. "Fighting terrorism is a team effort, so we need to work together to continue to be engaged, and we will be successful in whatever we try to do," Derry said. So far, the Accra initiative has yielded little concrete action. In 2018 and 2019, member states carried out joint military operations on their borders, which resulted in the arrest of about 700 suspected terrorists and gangs, and the seizure of homemade weapons. Since then, the threat of armed groups has increased. Ghanaian Minister of State Security Albert Kan Dabah said that between July 1 and September 30 of this year alone, 264 terrorist attacks were recorded in West Africa, killing 745 people. Kan Dabah called on member states and the international community to continue dialogue to come up with a more comprehensive approach. effective in combating terrorism. Adding, “The Sahel region and the entire region of West Africa are in fact going through a very difficult moment in history due to the continuing rapid spread of terrorism and violent extremism, in recognition of the debilitating impact of the threat of terrorism and violent extremism on countries and international communities in which issues related to terrorism have recently figured prominently in the security discourse.” At the national and international levels.Among the participants in the Accra meeting were officials from the European Union, ambassadors from member states, traditional leaders and some regional military officials.The conference culminated in a summit of heads of state and government of member states.