Security challenges in Africa are not easy

While French President Emmanuel Macron was discussing with the leaders of the African Sahel countries the legitimacy of the presence of French forces in the region, the problems of financing and logistical support for the joint African force, and fears of chaos and stability, the extremist groups were expanding their influence in what became known as the “arc of terrorism” expanding in Mali, Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Burkina Faso and Nigeria, continue to destabilize security and claim more lives.

In their last meeting last December, the leaders of the Sahel group called on the international community to provide support in confronting the growing threat of terrorist groups on its territory. They called on the United Nations to strengthen the mandate of the joint African military force and the international force in Mali, while affirming their determination to improve coordination between the joint force and the national forces and allied international forces.

In fact, the situation is becoming increasingly dangerous in this region, which terrorist groups are devoting their efforts to convert into an alternative base for international terrorism, after its effects recede and its fortified bases in Syria and Iraq have been struck in particular.

Last week, 80 soldiers were killed in Niger when gunmen attacked their military base, and a similar attack preceded that, leaving at least 70 people dead. And at the beginning of this week, armed militants killed five members of the local protection forces in Borno village in northeastern Nigeria. Over the past two months, the region has witnessed an increase in the number of ambushes targeting soldiers, kidnappings of civilians, and fake checkpoints set up by the African branch of ISIS, which split from Boko Haram.

In the neighboring Republic of Mali, the situation is much more dire. The United Nations has counted more than 269 armed attacks during the past three months, with a total of 200 civilians killed and 96 injured, in addition to the kidnapping of 90 others.

On the territory of this country, a handful of terrorist groups, armed militias and hotbeds of evil are active that threaten security and stability, including the "Tawhid and Jihad Group", the "Al-Mutathemin al-Murabitin Brigade" and "Ansar al-Sharia" group, in addition to "Al-Qaeda" and "ISIS". These groups obtain their funds through the kidnapping of hostages and the ransom demand for their release, in addition to drug smuggling and illegal immigration. While the activity of the "Boko Haram" group extends across a chain of borders from Nigeria and includes Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Burkina Faso.

At its best, the French force known as the Barkhane force, the United Nations forces, and the American forces combined failed to control the wave of terrorism or contain its spread and expansion. But Germany refused to participate in the creation of this force.
As for the joint African force, it still suffers from problems of financing and logistical support. As for the national armies in the five Sahel countries, the terrorist challenge exceeds their capabilities in confrontation, and they face continuous losses in the attacks launched by terrorist groups on their remote bases or in cities.

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