Togo: authorities decree “state of emergency” in north after two jihadist attacks

These are the two second jihadist attacks claimed by the support group for Islam and Muslims, the main jihadist alliance of the Sahel, linked to al-Qaida.

Le Monde with AFP

Lomé decreed, Monday, June 13, “the state of security emergency” in the Savannah region, a zone located in the far north of Togo having recorded two terrorist attacks, said an official press release. “The Council of Ministers examined and adopted a draft decree establishing the state of security emergency in the savannah region”, announced the press release read on the state media.

The state of security emergency is an “exceptional measure and it intervenes for a particular situation. The savannah region is the target of terrorist attacks and the State needs to act and act quickly And effectively, “said the Minister of Communication and government spokesperson Akodah Ayewouadan at a press point. >

provided for a period of “three months” in accordance with the Constitution, this measure may be extended, on authorization from the National Assembly, he said.

overflow of violence

Eight Togolese soldiers were killed and 13 others injured in the night of May 10 to 11 in a terrorist attack in northern Togo. About fifteen attackers had been killed during this attack by the Togolese soldiers, the government had stressed.

The Togolese authorities had claimed that it was the first deadly “terrorist” attack in Togo, where the army has been deployed for several years in the North to face the threat of an overflow of violence jihadist groups present in neighboring Burkina Faso.

The support group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), the main jihadist alliance of the Sahel, linked to al-Qaida, claimed this attack.

The government also mentions “a previous attempt at attack, in this same part of the national territory, valiantly postponed by the defense and security forces in the night of November 10 to 11, 2021”.

/Media reports.