Repeated Jihadist attacks in northern Togo: Should we fear overflows?

Northern Togo has been the target of violent terrorist attacks since November 2021. On the night of Thursday to Friday, the government announced a new attack causing several victims, mainly children. This attack is the 4th perpetrated in this part of the country and the Togolese Government is worried.

« We were violently attacked overnight from yesterday to today. Our country was once again subject to multiple incursions into the far north. First there was a response from the defense and security forces. A search is currently underway and there are fears that there are victims, » ​​confirmed Minister of Communication and government spokesman Akodah Ayewouadan answering questions from a journalist on Togolese radio Kanal FM.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are grappling with jihadist insurgencies and neighboring coastal states such as Benin, Ghana, Togo and Ivory Coast are concerned about the possibility of spillovers into their territory.

Since May 2022, the Togolese army has been trying somehow to contain this incursion through raids and military operations. On Thursday, the army admitted to having mistakenly killed seven civilians after mistaking them for a jihadist column.

A total of eight Togolese soldiers were killed and 13 others injured during the attacks. The Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel, linked to Al-Qaeda, has been identified as the perpetrator of these attacks.