Since the beginning of 2021, non-state armed groups (NSAGs) linked to the Islamic State or al-Qaeda in the Sahel have intensified their attacks in Togo as a result of a spillover of the protracted security and humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The geographic expansion of this crisis is increasingly affecting the northern regions of coastal countries in the Gulf of Guinea, including Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo.
NSAGs initially attacked military positions but have since been targeting civilians. As they advanced south from the Sahel, they established a safe base for their operations in the forests near the Burkina Faso border.
Until May 2024, Togo continued to record repeated security incidents, including attacks on civilians and clashes between NSAGs and security forces. There has also been a significant increase in enforced and attempted kidnappings of civilians in the north over recent years, heightening protection concerns.
By July 2023, there were over 18,000 IDPs in Savanes region. Their most urgent needs include food and NFIs, WASH services, healthcare, and education. In April 2024, Togo also hosted over 22,000 refugees and asylum seekers, most of whom were from Burkina Faso.
(GRANIT 31/01/2024, IFRI 11/02/2022, ECOWAS 07/03/2024, WFP 06/02/2024, UNHCR 15/05/2024)
Since the beginning of 2021, non-state armed groups (NSAGs) linked to the Islamic State or al-Qaeda in the Sahel have intensified their attacks in Togo as a result of a spillover of the protracted security and humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The geographic expansion of this crisis is increasingly affecting the northern regions of coastal countries in the Gulf of Guinea, including Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo.
NSAGs initially attacked military positions but have since been targeting civilians. As they advanced south from the Sahel, they established a safe base for their operations in the forests near the Burkina Faso border.
Until May 2024, Togo continued to record repeated security incidents, including attacks on civilians and clashes between NSAGs and security forces. There has also been a significant increase in enforced and attempted kidnappings of civilians in the north over recent years, heightening protection concerns.
By July 2023, there were over 18,000 IDPs in Savanes region. Their most urgent needs include food and NFIs, WASH services, healthcare, and education. In April 2024, Togo also hosted over 22,000 refugees and asylum seekers, most of whom were from Burkina Faso.
(GRANIT 31/01/2024, IFRI 11/02/2022, ECOWAS 07/03/2024, WFP 06/02/2024, UNHCR 15/05/2024)
