Africa: Mounting Fatalities Linked to Militant Islamist Violence in Africa Amid Shifting Tactics
[ACSS] Fatalities linked to militant Islamist violence in Africa surpassed 20,000 deaths for the fourth consecutive year, underscoring the resiliency of militant groups across the Sahel, Somalia, the Lake Chad Basin, and Mozambique.
Militant Islamist violence in Africa has claimed 23,872 lives over the past year, marking a 77-percent increase from 2021 and nearly a 150-percent rise since 2017. This surge has been particularly pronounced in the Lake Chad Basin and Mozambique, where deaths jumped by 60 percent. The Sahel region accounts for 42 percent of total reported fatalities, followed by Somalia and the Lake Chad Basin, each at 28 percent.
Over the past decade, 92 percent of the 166,000 people killed by extremist violence in Africa occurred in these three regions. Of the five countries most affected, Somalia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, have seen 94 percent of these deaths. Despite violence increasing across all five theaters, North Africa has seen a decline.
A 78-percent drop in fatalities was recorded in Benin and Togo. Remote violence, driven by air strikes and drones, has become a significant factor in Somalia, comprising nearly 40 percent of fatalities there. In northwest Nigeria, the convergence of violent extremist and criminal groups has complicated security challenges.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
