Ivory Coast strengthens border defences after surge of Malian refugees
Ivory Coast has reinforced security along its northern frontier after authorities reported the arrival of "several unusual flows of refugees" from neighbouring Mali, officials said.
The country’s National Security Council (NSC) said the influx appears to be driven by attacks on civilians by armed terrorist groups in parts of southern Mali. In a statement on Thursday, the NSC ordered the Executive Secretary to take all necessary steps to register the asylum seekers and directed the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces to strengthen security at the nation’s northern borders.
JNIM’s expanding violence
The armed organisation Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which is linked to al‑Qaeda, has waged an almost decade-long insurgency in the region. Formed in 2017 through a merger of al‑Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Ansar Dine, the Macina Liberation Front and al‑Mourabitoun, JNIM has spread operations beyond Mali into Burkina Faso, Niger, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin and Togo. Conflict monitor ACLED identifies JNIM as one of the most active armed groups in West Africa.
Most recently, in late October, analysts say JNIM launched its first recorded attack in Nigeria, killing a soldier and seizing ammunition and cash. The group is believed to have caused thousands of deaths since 2017, though an exact overall toll remains unclear.
In September, JNIM blocked major highways used by tanker traffic and targeted fuel trucks bound for landlocked Mali from Ivory Coast and Senegal, effectively creating an economic and fuel blockade that crippled supplies into the Malian capital, Bamako. The disruption has compounded humanitarian pressures and driven many civilians to seek refuge across the border in Ivory Coast.
On Wednesday, militants attacked the town of Loulouni, roughly 50 km (about 30 miles) from the Ivorian border, prompting hundreds more to flee. Ivory Coast already hosts around 90,000 refugees from Burkina Faso, a country itself grappling with a growing armed uprising.
Officials emphasize that the measures are preventive and include registration of asylum seekers and enhanced border patrols to manage the humanitarian flow and protect civilians.
