The London based Tactics Institute For Security and Counter Terrorism expressed concerns about the growing threat of Jihadi groups in Africa.
The institute revealed it has received information from local intelligence sources from 3 African countries. Tactics has learned that 8 key terrorists groups in the Sahel region are the beneficiaries of illegal trade with UAE and other countries.
Tactics can reveal that groups which involved in the trade are, Al-Mourabitoun, Ansar al-Dine / Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), Ansar-ul-Islam lil-Ichad wal Jihad (IRSAD), Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), The Macina Liberation Front (MLF) and Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
According to the sources, these jihadi groups are active in Boungou, Burkina Faso, Taparko Burkina Faso, Inata Burkina Faso, Kaisaka Burkina Faso, Mana, Burkina Faso, Doropo, Ivory Coast, Kanakono, Ivory Coast, Bonikro, Ivory Coast, North Kivu, Congo DRC, Ituri, Congo DRC, Bougouni, Mali, Kenieba, Mali, Sikasso, Mali and Kita, Mali.
The intelligence received by Tactics suggest these groups are controlling some of the gold mines in these cities or provide protection for companies operating there. In some cases, these jihadi groups own illegal gold mines as well.
For the rest of this article: https://foreignpolicynews.org/2020/10/01/hot-take-sahel-terrorism/