VOA新闻杂志2023--Extremist Groups Spread in West Africa

Extremist Groups Spread in West Africa

Islamist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State have been spreading across Africa for years.

The groups came from the large area south of the Sahara Desert called the Sahel. They are spreading into wealthier West African coastal¹ nations like Benin.

Militants³ once were believed to want to use coastal nations like Benin, Togo and Ghana as bases for attacks on Sahel governments. Now the militant² groups are strengthening.

Benin has been the hardest hit. This year it had more than 10 times the number of violent incidents involving Islamists than Togo did. That information comes from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

Attacks by militant Islamists, or jihadis, against civilians⁴ in Benin went from more than 30 to about 80. The overall number of incidents involving jihadi groups rose by more than 70 percent.

The jihadis' activity in Benin is mostly in the north of the country. There, they try to recruit people and create division within local populations. Residents of one small town told The Associated Press recently that civilians can no longer move freely.

People in Materi live in fear because of the jihadi threat. The fighters place explosives and carry out kidnappings in the area. They aim to make people lose trust in the government. The government has put in place a curfew and a ban on gatherings⁵.

"I can't sleep at night, we're not free to travel, to move," Materi resident Florence Bati said. "People are too afraid."

People are being displaced from their homes as attacks increase. Some people fear a humanitarian⁶ crisis.

In August, more than 12,000 people were displaced from their homes in the Atacora and neighboring Alibori states. That is an increase from about 5,000 in March, the United Nations said.

The violence is also pushing people from their farms. The U.N. estimates that tens of thousands of people could face hunger.

The government is trying to improve the situation by placing additional security forces along the borders and hiring more soldiers. Local people in the north say they have seen increases in soldiers but say the army is underequipped and is sometimes late when answering attacks.

Neighboring Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, are being overrun by violence. The nations ousted⁷ French troops after the militaries there seized power. But Benin is still open to help from its former colonial power, which left in 1960. The French do not have a permanent base in the country. At Benin's request, however, French troops can take part in training programs with Beninese soldiers, a French military spokesman said.

People in the north told AP that Benin's government is also trying to hide the level of the crisis. The government has limited freedom of speech and arrested reporters who cover insecurity.

Local officials have said the problem does not go beyond the border with Burkina Faso.

"There is no terrorist, no movement, no organization, no group that has settled or tried to settle in our department," said Robert Wimbo Kassa, the mayor of Materi.

Benin is an agricultural nation of 13 million people. It has invested billions of dollars in culture and tourism. It is also building a $1.5 billion industrial area outside of the city of Cotonou aimed at creating 300,000 jobs by 2030.

The lack of information has left people in other parts of the country unaware⁸ of the security problems in the north. People in Cotonou said they did not know about the jihadi problem. They did not believe the news or said that it was a problem limited to neighboring countries.

Rights groups say the government is attempting to control information, while arresting people believed to be working with the jihadis. The groups say the government is pushing people into the militants' hands.

Bertin Assogba is with Durable⁹ and Develop Reference, a local aid and human rights group.

"The jihadis live with the populations, the citizens know them, but they refuse to denounce them because the government doesn't encourage people to do so," he said.

Words in This Story

recruit - v. to persuade someone to join a group or the military

resident - n. a person who legally lives in a particular place

tourism - n. the industry that provides places to stay and things to do for people who travel to other places for pleasure

encourage - v. to make someone more likely to do something

1 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

5 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

6 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

7 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

8 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

9 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。