In June, a donors’ conference is organized to fund the International Academy for the Fight Against Terrorism, which opens its doors in Jacqueville, near Abidjan. The seminars have already started in Abidjan. The opportunity to return to the situation on Côte d’Ivoire in the face of the jihadist threat after a very turbulent year in this area.
as reported from Abidjan, Pierre Pinto
Even before the inauguration of this academy, planned for the coming weeks and already postponed several times, the seminars have already started in Abidjan. A conference was held again on Thursday.
While Chad has hired a battalion in the Sahel to fight the jihadists, Idriss Déby’s death will it affect the Ivorian fight against terrorism and the threat to Côte d’Ivoire? Not immediately, believes Arthur Banga, a researcher specializing in military matters.
“At present, the Déby system remains. Not only is his son the heir, but all of Déby’s allies are around him, so at present it is believed that there will be no withdrawal of Chadian troops within the international coalition. What we can fear is perseverance in the conflict that could lead Chad to take down some of its elements in order to devote them to defending its territorial integrity. So I think at the moment it is more in the symbol, it is more in the morale of the troops that we have a consequence, especially since Chad’s commitments have not been questioned. “
In less than a year, Côte d’Ivoire has been particularly targeted by jihadists. Two attacks on military positions in Kafolo, on the Burkinabè border, in June 2020 and March 2021, followed by the explosion on 1 and 12 April of two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) still around Kafolo.
How do you translate this new phenomenon for the Ivory Coast that is the IED attacks? “It is only to show the defense and security forces that we, terrorists, are present and we expect you,” says researcher Lassina Diarra 4S Center. The second is to make the security forces lose the initiative so that they are afraid of getting in touch. If they do not go, the terrorists will have a territorial scope to launch attacks on strategic forces and places in the state. ”
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