He sahel It is a vast region bordering the Sahara desert, with a surface area approximately six times that of Spain, and which includes a dozen countries. In recent years it has been one of the greatest sources of instability in the world due to multiple factors including armed struggle, ethnic tensions, unemployment, poverty, scarcity of resources and food, climate change and political insecurity. The confluence of these elements has turned this region and the surrounding areas of the Gulf of Guinea into a powder keg of particular concern to Europe.
Europe fears that the endemic instability will spread to neighboring North Africa, which is the continent’s southern border, and from there cross the Mediterranean in various ways, for example with massive migrations or by rioting the millions of Muslims already residing in Europe. This concern has led to military intervention on the ground by some countries, mainly France, It hasn’t solved the underlying problems.
usual tactic
The strip that goes from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea includes countries such as Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Mauritania, Mali, Senegal, Cameroon and Guinea, among others, where Islam has a large presence and sometimes drifts into a jihadist islam who harbors aspirations to create a just and ideal Muslim society that would end all problems in the region.
Jihadist groups have committed true atrocities that have cost the lives of a large number of people, they have attacked schools and military bases, as well as isolated villages. His most repeated tactic has consisted of occupy areas where central governments were weak or where there was no direct authority. Jihadist groups have helped civilians in a variety of ways, such as protecting their herds or chasing down thieves; sometimes They have created a kind of social securityThey have distributed food and medicine, and have been in charge of the governance of a series of services that in principle should be expected from the State.
Demonstration of resilience
Although the French military intervention in Mali eliminated a not small number of jihadist leadersthe French Army failed to bring order to the area; the option of the armies has been revealed as insufficient to put an end to the presence of jihadism in the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea. Jihadist groups have shown great resilience when it comes to overcoming the setbacks they have suffered, including the death of their leaders, adapting to the environment and military conditions at each moment.
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In some countries of the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea there are important Christian communities and Muslims feel marginalized. This is often a decisive factor when Muslim communities protest against the governments of those countries. The marginalization of Muslims is undoubted in large regions, so that the followers of Muhammad easily identify with the jihadist groups that defend their interests.
The progressive existence of foreign troops has only complicated the situation. Russia, through the Wagner military group, entered Mali in January 2022. The presence of world powers that act according to interests outside the region interferes in the internal struggles of the countries of the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea, a circumstance that aggravates the situation and projects itself into an even more uncertain future.