West Africa: “a clear desire of the jihadists to consolidate their presence”

Published on: 09/22/2022 – 17:40 Twenty jihadist bases have been identified for three months on the border between Mali, Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire. They bring together several hundred fighters. According to Wassim Nasr, a specialist in jihadist movements, this presence bears witness to a process of territorial consolidation which notably involves cross-border recruitment. This establishment in this cross-border area can allow jihadists to easily carry out border incursions and projections to the south, towards Côte d’Ivoire. To see: In Côte d’Ivoire, living despite the jihadist threat This organization on the ground responds above all to the desire to encircle Bamako, by allowing the roads that supply the Malian capital to be cut off. According to Wassim Nasr, what is intriguing, and even surprising, is the fact that this area does not seem to be in the priorities of the Malian authorities today. However, it concentrates a good part of Mali’s mineral wealth, gold panning sites, and is home to the main trade routes that supply the country. This area is also the scene of numerous trafficking, acts of smuggling and extortion. A lot of money is circulating there. And it is also there that the mercenaries of the Wagner group must soon find the resources necessary for their deployment in Mali.