Sahel Dispatch - Littoral West Africa Incident Report
August 2023
Dear Readers,
We at 14 North have been tracking the spread of jihadism from the Sahel to the northern areas of Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin—also known as Littoral West Africa. As the situation deteriorates in Mali and Burkina Faso, the potential for jihadism spreading into the Littorals increases.
The good news is that we didn't see any jihadist incidents in Ghana, Togo, or Côte d'Ivoire in August. However, in Benin, the Beninese Armed Forces clashed with jihadists in Kofonou, Alibori Department, and in Porga, Materi commune. There were also two improvised explosive device (IED) detonations. In a noteworthy development, on 10 August, Benin's Economic Crimes and Terrorism Repression Court (CRIET) released 130 alleged terrorists after dismissing their cases.
In Ghana, we're paying attention to the situation in Bawku, which experienced a series of violent intercommunal incidents unrelated to jihadism. We're concerned because jihadists have a history of instrumentalizing local conflict to advance their agendas and recruit new members.
In constructive developments, Côte d'Ivoire organized a training course to strengthen the capabilities of a regional force of gendarmes. In Togo, Minister of Energy and Mines Mawunyo Aziable traveled to Savanes region to launch electrification projects that partly aimed to strengthen the region's resilience against the jihadist threat from Burkina Faso.
The security situation in the northern areas of Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo does not immediately affect investment in West Africa. Instead, the more immediate threats are the growing jihadist presence in Burkina Faso and southwest Mali.
Bigger picture, we think the threat to the Littorals will continue as long as the crisis in Burkina Faso worsens. However, they are not doomed to share Burkina Faso's fate.
- 14 North
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