National Security has warned that the activity of jihadist groups operating in the African strip of the Sahel "continues to be the greatest threat" to the security of this belt of more than 5,000 kilometers in length, which includes ten countries, and one of the main reasons that forces locals to board boats and canoes bound for the Canary Islands.
The annual report of National Security for the year 2024 warns that insecurity in the Sahel due to terrorism is "increased by institutional instability and the withdrawal of international missions" and pushes the resident population to migrate to Spain, through the Canary and Mediterranean routes, and to Italy.
The document analyzed by La Voz indicates that this situation of instability is aggravated by the "inability" of the States in the area to guarantee control of the territory and the security of their residents. So, to the "traditional" factors such as socio-economic precariousness, food insecurity and water stress, which are expected to worsen, is added the "political instability" and the "proliferation of jihadist groups for two years".
By nationalities, the main countries of origin of migrants throughout 2024 are Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Senegal and, to a lesser extent, Gambia and Guinea Bissau. National Security states that the "partial closure" of the departure of precarious boats from North Africa, mainly along the Central Mediterranean route, "has caused a transfer" to the Atlantic coast and, therefore, greater pressure towards Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia, with boats arriving in the Canary Islands or being lost in the Atlantic.
This report exposes the importance of Mauritania in the migratory route to the Canary Islands and indicates that "it is the main departure point" to the archipelago. The migratory pressure on this country has grown hand in hand with "the degradation" of security in Mali, with more displaced people for economic reasons and instability, added to the rise of terrorist groups, and the increase in border control in Senegal.
Mauritania suffers "great migratory pressure" with a saturated refugee camp in M'Berra. In addition, the National Intelligence Center indicates an increase of 1961% of immigrants arriving from Mauritania and 543% of those arriving from Mali.
In addition, this report warns that there are "deliberate efforts by hostile agents" to the European Union to "instrumentalize migration" and that it is expected "that migratory pressure will continue."
Jihadism in the Sahel
National Security states that different terrorist groups operate in the Sahel, whose activity has not decreased despite the attempts of the armies of Mali, Burkina Faso or Niger. These groups are the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), affiliated with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, as well as Daesh in the Sahel Province (ISSP). Military support to the States is being given through "Russian armed elements."
Thus, according to the aforementioned document, the jihadist groups have "consolidated" in the countries of the Gulf of Guinea, in northern Benin and Togo, while the expansion towards the west of Mali, the border of Senegal, is slower.
National Security warns that the rise of jihadism adds to the "loss of Western influence" in the region, especially from the European Union, which has been exploited by other countries, including Russia, to "leave less and less room for action."
