The Gulf of Guinea and West Africa: a new focal point?

[davidbfpo]

A rare article on this West African country, with a hopeful sub-title:

Poverty, political instability and weak institutions allowed South American cocaine cartels in, but with US and UN help the country is trying to fight back

Link:http://www.theguardian.com/global-de...al-drugs-trade

[davidbfpo]

A broad overview:

In addition to terrorism, the Sahel faces a host of thorny intertwined issues, which if not dealt with could plunge the region into chaos.

Link:https://www.opendemocracy.net/arab-a...y-weakest-link

[davidbfpo]

Hat tip to WoTR for this short overview of AQIM activity in West Africa, the catalyst being the attack on a beach resort, Grand Bassam, in the Ivory Coast:http://warontherocks.com/2016/05/bey...african-coast/

Not to overlook two earlier attacks in Bamako and Ouagadougou.

Being close to the ground, my words, the authors draw attention to:

Predominantly young men, these migrants travel to littoral West Africa to work as laborers on commercial farms or as petty traders. Abidjan and Accra possess teeming neighborhoods of foreign-born migrants, many of whom spend seven to eight months a year in these urban areas before returning to their home villages in time for the annual harvest.