The Gulf of Guinea is the new target of the jihadists – Pierre Haski

The spies that are lighting up on the map of West Africa do not bode well. On 9 February, in the far north of Benin, near the border with Niger and Burkina Faso, six men were killed in a jihadist attack, five Beninese and a Frenchman. The Beninese victims were forest rangers from a national park, while the French, a 50-year-old ex-soldier, worked as a trainer for a South African environmental protection organization.

This is the most serious episode in a country where attacks have multiplied in recent months, as part of what clearly appears as an attempt by the Sahelian jihadist groups to hit the coastal states. To understand the situation, just look at a map: we are immediately south of the Sahel, the scene of the jihadist offensive for over a decade.

The countries of the Gulf of Guinea, in particular the Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin, are the new targets of the groups affiliated to Al Qaeda, which carry out their mission of destabilization. In the reorganization of the French military system in the region, the defense of the countries of the Gulf of Guinea was already a priority objective.

Beyond the armed response
Exactly one year ago the DGSE, the French foreign security service, had made an unusual gesture. The head of the institution, Bernard Émié, had taken the floor during a press conference to present a video without revealing its provenance.

The footage showed top Al Qaeda leaders in the Sahel sitting in a circle discussing their strategy. Two of the three leaders died later, but the strategy remains in place.

Bernard Émié had explained that during that meeting the expansion project towards the Gulf of Guinea had been conceived. “These countries have now become targets, both to escape the grip of the jihadists and to expand southwards. Terrorists finance men who settle in Côte d’Ivoire and Benin, ”he said. This, as mentioned, happened a year ago.
The aim of this new phase of the fight against terrorism is not to repeat the mistakes that have led to the current impasse in the Sahel and in particular not to oppose exclusively weapons-based responses to a challenge that is by its nature multidimensional.

Take advantage of the instability
This applies first of all to the French army, which rightly made it a priority to defend the countries of the Gulf of Guinea after acknowledging the political failure in Mali. The French military especially want to avoid making the mistake again of creating an arrogant device, far from the means of the local forces and an easy target of criticism in moments of tension.

But above all, it is the political response that has been lacking in the Sahel, and finding one will be difficult in the Gulf of Guinea. In Benin, two famous opponents, former minister Reckya Madougou and jurist Joël Aïvo were recently sentenced to heavy prison terms for “terrorism”, an accusation that appears senseless. Numerous voices in Africa and France are calling for their release from President Patrice Talon, especially at a time when an external threat necessitates national unity.

Jihadists thrive in unstable political situations. This is the main challenge for the new targets of terrorism in the Gulf of Guinea.

(Translation by Andrea Sparacino)