By Ebi Kesiena
Global Terrorism Index latest report of the 2023 indicates that the number of victims of terrorist attacks in the Sahel region has increased by more than 2,000% over the past 15 years.
According to the latest report published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), Burkina Faso is the 1st country on the continent and the 2nd most affected country in the world.
“The Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa is now the epicenter of terrorism, accounting for more deaths from terrorism in 2022 than South Asia and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) combined.
“Across the Sahel, 22,074 people were killed in 6,408 terrorist attacks between 2007 and 2022,” the report said.
With 8,564 victims, Burkina Faso ranks 2nd in the world for the most affected countries in 2022, just behind Afghanistan. ranked first country since 2019. The country recorded 310 terrorist incidents in 2022 compared to 224 in 2021.
Somalia, Mali and Syria occupy the 3rd, 4th and 5th place respectively. Next come Pakistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Burma and Niger according to the document.
Civilians affected
According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), terrorist attacks around the world fell in 2022 for the first time since 2019, with a 28% drop compared to 2021. They fell from 5,463 to 3,955.
Most of the terrorist attacks are carried out by the Islamic State, Al -Shabaab, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims and the Baluchistan Liberation Front in West Pakistan.
The total number of deaths also fell by almost 9% compared to 2021, from 7,328 to 6,701 deaths. However, in Burkina Faso, 1,135 deaths have been recorded, i.e. a 50% increase in deaths compared to 2021, according to the same source.
According to the study, more than half of the 1,135 dead were civilians. Civilians are, for the 4th consecutive year, the target of terrorists with 642 deaths, or more than 57% of these deaths. In total, a 29% increase compared to 2021 when 497 civilians lost their lives.
The report reveals that regions close to the borders with Niger, Benin and Mali recorded 71% of all attacks in 2022. Some 448 deaths were recorded in the Sahel region.
The Seytenga attack that took place on June 12, 2022, which caused the death of at least 116 civilians is considered by the Institute for Economics and Peace to be the fourth deadliest attack in the world in 2022.
