Abidjan – Ivory Coast authorities said Thursday they were reinforcing border security after the arrival of an “unusual” number of Malian refugees fleeing jihadist militants.
Mali’s military junta has been struggling to contain a decade-long insurgency by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, known by its Arabic acronym JNIM and linked to Al-Qaeda.
Since September, the group has targeted fuel trucks trying to reach Mali from Ivory Coast and Senegal, after warning foreigners of doing any business with the Malian government without its “authorisation”.
On Wednesday, hundreds of people fled the town of Loulouni, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the Ivory Coast border, after an attack by jihadist militants, local sources told AFP.
“The army chief of staff has been ordered to take adequate measures to reinforce the Northern border security,” the NSC said.
Ivory Coast already hosts around 90,000 refugees from neighbouring Burkina Faso who have fled jihadist violence in the west African country.
With the JNIM’s grip tightening, the United States and Britain announced two weeks ago that they were pulling out all non-essential personnel from Mali, and many embassies have urged their citizens to leave the country.
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Source: AFP
