The Quarterly Africa Terrorism Bulletin- Second Quarter 2022

The concentration of terrorist attacks in the tri-border area of Liptako-Gourma and more precisely in the Gao region, around the commune of Tessit demonstrates the freedom of movement that terrorist groups enjoy particularly JNIM (the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims) and the Islamic State in Greater Sahara (ISGS) along their mobility corridors. [...] Even though the number of attacks declined for the period, the rate of fatalities increased by 72%, indicating the brutality and complex nature of attacks and the associated high lethality of the atrocities perpetrated by JNIM and ISGS. [...] Under the current circumstances, the full operationalisation and the implementation of the Accra Initiative could prove strategically, operationally, and tactically relevant in nipping the threats in the bud. [...] This may be attributed to the decrease in military offensives against the hegemony of JNIM and ISGS following the withdrawal and redeployment of Barkhane and Takuba Forces as well as the cascading effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the sanction imposed by ECOWAS on Mali which have aggravated the deteriorating security and humanitarian crisis situations making the population more vulnerable to te. [...] Under the current circumstances, the full operationalisation and the implementation of the Accra Initiative could prove strategically, operationally, and tactically relevant in nipping the threats in the bud.