Fatalities linked to militant attacks in Sahel, Somalia at all-time high: Report

By Zehra Nur Duz

A nearly 50% surge in fatalities linked to attacks by militant groups in the Sahel and Somalia over the past year has surpassed the previous high in 2015 when Boko Haram was at its most fatal phase, according to a report.

Africa Center for Strategic Studies, based in the US, released a year-on-year mid-year review of violence involving African militant groups, assessing trends over the past decade which underlines a spike in fatalities in the Sahel and Somalia.

Fatalities linked to militant groups reached 22,288 over the past 12 months which represents a 48% increase from the previous year that saw 15,024 fatalities, said the report.

This level of fatalities is nearly two and a half times more than the pace observed 10 years ago and higher than the number of 20,562 recorded in 2015, mostly due to the deadly use of violence by Boko Haram, the report noted.

“The Sahel continues to be the region experiencing the most violent events and fatalities,” it added.