How Terrorism is Affecting Fulani Communities and Aid Efforts
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Hashim Sheikh
- . October 23, 2024
- . Update: October 23, 2024 6:16 pm
The Sahel is seeing an increase in attacks by the Wagner Group, local militias and various Jihadist groups. The non-governmental organisation Doctors Without Borders has been forced to stop its operations due to the worsening safety situation. Regarding the increasingly violent battle in Africa, jihadist leader Amadou Koufa, the second-in-command of the al-Qaeda-affiliated group JNIM, spoke with Wassim Nasr, FRANCE 24’s Terrorism Expert.
Highlighting the targeting of health centres operating in the city, the medical organisation Doctors Without Borders said on Monday that it has stopped its operations in the city of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso.
The city which is close to the borders of both Niger and Mali, has been under attack by jihadist organisations such as al Qaeda and JNIM (the support group for Islam and Muslims) throughout the last two years. However, the medical organisation is not just blaming the jihadists.
FRANCE 24 journalist and the terrorism expert Wassim Nasr stated, “Doctors Without Borders are saying this knowing that Djibo has been under siege for years now. They ( Medical Charity) don’t blame jihadist groups in particular as being responsible for this harassment they are living, but they also accuse local authorities.”
The nation’s military forces together with the militias Traoré created have been charged with regularly murdering civilians in their efforts to eradicate terrorist organisations. Nasr added, “The Fulanis are being attacked and harassed by the local government and the militias. And we know that among the Fulani communities, we have castes. So the lower castes are seeing a kind of revenge by joining jihadists, but the upper classes are still loyal to the government. So it’s not only religious, it’s also playing on the social structure.”
