A weekly news update brought to you by West Africa Conflict and Security Consulting Ltd.
JANUARY 22, 2016
Top stories in this Media Review
We’ve
driven
Boko
Haram
into
fall-back
positions – Buhari
Burkina
Faso’s
new
nightmare: The
rising
threat of radical Islam
Anti-slavery activists in
Mauritania face violent
clampdown, rights groups
warn
Corruption Could Have
Undermined Boko Haram
Fight
UK Team Deploys to Train Nigerian Forces Fighting Boko Haram
A UK military training team will deploy to Nigeria as part of the ongoing efforts to train local forces
to combat Boko Haram. More than 35 personnel from the Second Battalion, The Royal Anglian
Regiment (2 R ANGLIAN), will shortly deploy to deliver infantry training to Nigerian military
personnel preparing to tackle the extremist group in the north of the country. Last month Defence
Secretary Michael Fallon announced a step up in training to help Nigerian forces stamp out the
threat posed by Boko Haram. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “We stand united with
Nigeria in its efforts to defeat the murderous Boko Haram extremists. “Stepping up our training
efforts will help support the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) for crucial counter-insurgency
operations.” Defence Talk
Mali and Burkina Faso to share counter-terror efforts after Islamist
attacks
Burkina Faso and Mali have agreed to work together to counter the growing threat of Islamic
militants in west Africa by sharing intelligence and conducting joint security patrols, following two
deadly and well-coordinated attacks in the region. The prime ministers of the two countries met
on Sunday, two days after al-Qaida militants seized the Splendid hotel in Burkina Faso’s capital
Ouagadougou, opened fire on a restaurant and attacked another hotel nearby. The assault killed
at least 29 people from at least 18 countries and left 50 other people injured. The assault,
claimed by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), follows a similar raid in November on a
luxury hotel in Mali’s capital Bamako, which killed 20 people, including citizens of Russia, China
and the US. The exact details of the cooperation between Burkina Faso and Mali were not
immediately clear, but the patrols and intelligence-sharing mark an intent by the two countries to
prevent the spread of militancy as AQIM and others expand operations in the region beyond their
usual reach. Islamic militants have used northern Mali as a base for many years, but over the
past year they have staged a number of attacks in other parts of the country. The Guardian
We’ve driven Boko Haram into fall-back positions – Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari said Monday in Abu Dhabi that Nigeria has made very significant
progress towards ending the Boko Haram insurgency since his assumption of office on May 29
last year. Speaking at a meeting with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki
Moon on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit, President Buhari said that in
collaboration with the Multinational Joint Task Force, the Nigerian Armed Forces had driven the
terrorist group from Nigerian territory into “fall-back positions”. “They are currently not holding any
territory today as we speak, ” the President told Mr. Ban Ki Moon. President Buhari also told the
United Nations Secretary-General that Nigeria will persistently pursue global action to reverse the
drying up of Lake Chad and save the lives of those who depend on it for survival. “With all due
respect to our neighbours, Nigeria has been worst hit by the drying up of the Lake Chad and we
are hoping that the global community will support the process of halting the drying up of the lake,
” President Buhari said. Mr. Ban Ki Moon commended the President for his courage in fighting
terrorism and corruption. The Secretary-General said that Nigeria had made amazing progress
against terrorism since President Buhari assumed office, while the President’s war against
corruption had boosted global confidence in the Nigerian economy. Daily Post
Burkina Faso’s new nightmare: The rising threat of radical Islam
The growing threat of Islamist activities in West Africa is complicated by increasingly blurred links
between militant and criminal activities. Such collaboration of crime networks carries a strategic
value for African Jihadists like those who attacked the Splendid Hotel and the adjacent
Cappuccino Cafe, in central Ouagadougou over the past weekend. On January 15, the city of
Ouagadougou- the heart of a western African country, Burkina Faso, which has remained
relatively immune to the threat of radical Islam in recent years - was hit by elements affiliated with
global Jihad in a spectacular and a well-coordinated assault. During the evening hours of January
15 the Splendid Hotel and the adjacent Cappuccino Cafe, both located in central Ouagadougou,
came under attack by four armed Islamists. The gunmen opened fire on the café, and then
stormed the hotel, taking dozens of people hostage. The joint rescue operation by local forces
and French special troops, who were deployed to the scene, stretched the entire night and the
morning hours of January 16, leaving three assailants killed. The fourth perpetrator managed to
escape to the nearby Yibi Hotel, and was eliminated after the security forces had surrounded the
building. Daily Maverick
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African corruption 'pushing' recruits to insurgents
African leaders are using their defence budgets to buy loyalty and build "patronage
networks," which is driving recruits to terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, a Transparency
International report said on Tuesday. This kind of corruption is proving to be a "push factor" for
insurgent groups such as Boko Haram, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and al-Shabaab
in Africa, says the report, which assessed the risk of corruption in the defence institutions of 47
African countries. "While ideological factors have certainly pushed new recruits to these
organizations, the role of corruption as a 'push' factor cannot be underestimated," it says. "After
all, corruption has undermined states' perceived legitimacy and led to a sense of disillusionment
and abandonment across Africa." Military spending increased by 91% in Africa in the past decade
but anti-corruption bodies, audit functions and parliamentary committees are missing in most
countries, says the report. “By treating the defence sector as exceptional, its efficiency has been
undermined," it says. The watchdog group's programme manager for conflict and insecurity,
Leah Wawro, cites an incident in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in which the
government bought three separate types of tanks "with no clear rationale" as an example of a
non-transparent procurement decision. News24
Anti-slavery activists in Mauritania face violent clampdown, rights
groups warn
Protestors marking the one-year anniversary of the conviction and imprisonment of Mauritania’s
leading anti-slavery activists are facing an increasingly violent clampdown by security forces,
according to human rights groups. Biram Ould Abeid, runner-up in the 2014 presidential elections
and head of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA), and his
assistant Brahim Bilal Ramdane, were jailed last January with two other activists for belonging to
an illegal organisation and for violence against the police. Seven anti-slavery activists were
reportedly arrested last week at protests arranged to mark the anniversary of the conviction. All
were later released. Abidine Merzough, head of IRA-Europe, said the arrests are part of a wider
programme of intimidation of anti-slavery activists in the country. “There is an increase in
violence against those trying to end the illegal practice of slavery in Mauritania. Police use tear
gas at peaceful demonstrations – protestors are being beaten and intimidated,” said Merzough.
Slavery is deeply rooted in Mauritania’s caste-based society. Mauritania was the last country in
the world to abolish slavery, in 1981. The Guardian
Côte d’Ivoire: UN peacekeeping force reduced in light of country’s
progress towards stability
Reflecting the “considerable and continued progress” in consolidating peace and stability in Côte
d’Ivoire, the Security Council today cut a further 1,500 troops from the United Nations
peacekeeping Mission, which played a major role in halting violence in the country after disputed
elections in 2010. In a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-Member body decreased the
authorized ceiling of the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) from 5,437 to 4,000 military
personnel by 31 March. UNOCI, set up in 2004 to facilitate implementation of a peace agreement
after the West African country was torn apart by civil war, with an authorized ceiling of 6,240
uniformed personnel, helped restore legitimacy and stability in 2011, along with French forces,
after incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to concede defeat in the 2010 elections to
Alassane Ouattara. At its height, the Mission maintained some 7,000 uniformed personnel on the
ground, mandated to help protect civilians and support the efforts of the Ivorian authorities to
address the root causes of the conflict and establish lasting peace, including security sector
reform, and the disarmament and reintegration of armed factions. UN News Centre
Corruption Could Have Undermined Boko Haram Fight
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed thieving politicians for undermining the
military’s fight against Boko Haram militants. But some analysts think the army's struggles result
from more than just corruption. A number of prominent figures connected to the administration of
former president Goodluck Jonathan have been accused of corruption in recent weeks, including
ex-national security adviser Sambo Dasuki and Alisa Metuh, the spokesman for Jonathan’s party.
Both are accused of diverting money meant to equip soldiers. Dasuki, perhaps the highest-profile
case, is said to have approved over $2 billion in fictitious arms contracts, a charge he denies.
Boko Haram’s six-year long insurgency has killed about 20,000 people and forced more than two
million Nigerians to flee their homes. Buhari campaigned on defeating the group and cracking
down on corruption. Information minister Lai Mohammed says the charges make clear the extent
of that corruption under the previous government. “It’s clear that that money was meant to fight
terrorism. It was not used to fight terrorism,” Mohammed said. VOA
West Africa Braces for More Attacks After Burkina Faso Siege
At the entrance to the King Fahd Palace hotel in Dakar, security guards inspect the trunks of
every taxi at the gate, long before the vehicles get anywhere near the building itself. After the
recent attacks on upscale hotels and restaurants in two other West African capitals, no one here
in the Senegalese capital is taking any chances. The violence in Bamako and Ouagadougou
underscores how danger has moved from jihadist strongholds far in the desert to the very places
where Westerners stay and eat while working in the region. In Senegal, there is a growing sense
of vulnerability and an acknowledgement that security forces can only do so much. "The terrorists
have hit Mali and Burkina Faso — Senegal is no stronger than these countries," said Joseph
Mendy, a bank employee in Dakar. "If they had the chance, the terrorists would not hesitate to
attack the country. Senegal must be extra vigilant." In the part of Africa known as the Sahel, just
south of the Sahara Desert, violent jihadism is nothing new. Large swaths have long been
considered no-go areas for Westerners because of the risk of kidnappings for ransom by alQaida and others. Extremists ruled the towns of northern Mali for nearly a year, implementing
public whippings and amputations until French forces dislodged them from power. ABC
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