DW News published this video item, entitled “Is Africa’s problem with Islamist terrorism getting worse? | DW News” – below is their description.
African nations have a growing problem – countries across the continent are facing attacks by Islamist-inspired insurgents.
The so-called Islamic State may have lost influence in Syria and Iraq – but now it’s claiming vast territory across Africa, expanding and strengthening its influence together with affiliated armed groups.
Video footage purports to show Boko Haram fighters pledging allegiance to the Islamic State in West Africa Province. If genuine it would herald a disturbing development for Nigerian security forces.
For years the two militias have been fighting each other. That came to a head last month when notorious Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau reportedly killed himself in a battle with IS fighters.
It has fueled fears that the so-called Islamic State is consolidating control of the insurgency in northeastern Nigeria. That’s at the heart of a string of conflicts involving various extremist groups from Mauritania to Chad.
Now there are warnings IS activity is growing in the horn of Africa and northern Mozambique.
They came as the global coalition against IS met in Rome to discuss the resurfacing of the terror group, sometimes called Daesh.
The Italian foreign minister wants to sharpen the focus on the continent.
At the end of the first in-person meeting in two years, the global coalition added three new African countries to their ranks.
And these propaganda images of former foes burying the hatchet in Nigeria only serve to underline the urgency of the situation.
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Chad, officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in north-central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon to the south-west, Nigeria to the southwest (at Lake Chad), and Niger to the west.
The capital N’Djamena is the largest city. Chad’s official languages are Arabic and French. Chad is home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups. Islam (51.8%) and Christianity (44.1%) are the main religions practiced in Chad.
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in Western Asia. The capital and largest city is Baghdad. Iraq is home to diverse ethnic groups including Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Assyrians, Yazidis, Shabakis, Armenians, Mandaeans, Circassians, Sabians and Kawliya. Around 99% of the country’s 38 million citizens are Muslims, with small minorities of Christians, Yarsans, Yezidis and Mandeans also present. The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish.
Iraq has a coastline measuring 58 km (36 miles) on the northern Persian Gulf and encompasses the Mesopotamian Alluvial Plain, the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range and the eastern part of the Syrian Desert. Two major rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, run south through Iraq and into the Shatt al-Arab near the Persian Gulf. These rivers provide Iraq with significant amounts of fertile land. The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, historically known as Mesopotamia, is often referred to as the cradle of civilisation.
Iraq is a federal parliamentary republic consisting of 19 governorates, four of which make up the autonomous Kurdistan Region. Disputes over the sovereignty of Kurdistan Region continue.
Iraq is a founding member of the UN as well as of the Arab League, OIC, Non-Aligned Movement and the IMF.
Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country in Northwest Africa.
Approximately 90% of Mauritania’s land is within the Sahara; consequently, the population is concentrated in the south, where precipitation is slightly higher.
The capital and largest city is Nouakchott, located on the Atlantic coast, which is home to around one-third of the country’s 4 million people.
The country’s official religion is Islam, with almost the entire population being Sunni Muslims. Arabic is the official language, with French also widely used due to its colonial history.
Mozambique is a southern African nation whose long Indian Ocean coastline is dotted with popular beaches like Tofo, as well as offshore marine parks. In the Quirimbas Archipelago, a 250km stretch of coral islands, mangrove-covered Ibo Island has colonial-era ruins surviving from a period of Portuguese rule. The Bazaruto Archipelago farther south has reefs which protect rare marine life including dugongs.
Nigeria, an African country on the Gulf of Guinea, has many natural landmarks and wildlife reserves. Protected areas such as Cross River National Park and Yankari National Park have waterfalls, dense rainforest, savanna and rare primate habitats. One of the most recognizable sites is Zuma Rock, a 725m-tall monolith outside the capital of Abuja that’s pictured on the national currency.
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon to the southwest, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.
