Sahel: Burkina Faso parliament extends state of emergency

Posted On 11 July 2019

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From Shield & Alert:

Ouagadougou, July 11, 2019 – Burkina Faso’s parliament on Thursday extended by six months until January a state of emergency imposed in provinces grappling with jihadist violence. The poor Sahel state has been battling a rising wave of jihadist attacks over the last four years which began in the north but have since spread to the east, near the border with Togo and Benin. The state of emergency applies to 14 provinces lying within seven of the country’s 13 administrative regions.

The state of emergency, imposed in December for a six-month period gives additional powers to the security forces to carry out searches of homes and to restrict freedom of movement and assembly. The extension until January 12 “aims at buttressing the fight against insecurity and gives the security and defence forces more opportunities and means to pursue” their goals, the parliament said.

Most attacks in the former French colony are attributed to the jihadist group Ansarul Islam, which emerged near the Mali border in December 2016, and to the JNIM (Group to Support Islam and Muslims), which has sworn allegiance to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Those groups are believed to be responsible for more than 450 deaths since 2015. The capital Ouagadougou has been attacked three times.

By AFP

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The North Africa Journal is a leading English-language publication focused on North Africa. The Journal covers primarily the Maghreb region and expands its general coverage to the Sahel, Egypt, and beyond, when events in those regions affect the broader North Africa geography. The Journal does not have any affiliation with any institution and has been independent since its founding in 1996. Our position is to always bring our best analysis of events affecting the region, and remain as neutral as humanly possible. Our coverage is not limited to one single topic, but ranges from economic and political affairs, to security, defense, social and environmental issues. We rely on our full staff analysts and editors to bring you best-in-class analysis. We also work with sister company MEA Risk LLC, to leverage the presence on the ground of a solid network of contributors and experts. Information on MEA Risk can be found at www.MEA-Risk.com.

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