Sahara: refuge for Islamists
By Olivier Guitta
One of the most concerning areas in the world when it comes to our war against radical Islam remains Africa and in particular the lawless areas of the Sahara. For proof, this article from The Croissant:
The Sahara is an area covering thousands of kilometers, going from the Atlantic Ocean to Chad. For many years now this area has been a “gray zone”, a rebel to all neighboring states. Two areas in particular are of concern: first, the border area between east Mauritania and Mali and second the Timbuktu area in Northern Mali. The people living in these areas were for a long time Tuaregs and smugglers. It is now also most likely a training ground for jihadists coming from Europe or elsewhere and a base for Islamists groups kicked out of Algeria.
Estimates vary regarding the number of Islamists: Mauritania thinks around 300 armed fighters (GSPC veterans) while Abdelkrim Ghraib, Algerian Ambassador to Mali, thinks more in the 100 range. There would be two independent groups; the first and older group, that of the Algerian Mokhtar Belkmokhtar aka “Benuar”, an Afghanistan veteran. According to the latest information, his men left Northern Mali to settle in the Timbuktu area. Second, the Tarik Ibn Ziad group, which took its name from the Berber leader who was the first to bring the Moors over to Spain in the 8th century and is composed of Islamists who worked with Abderrazak ”El Para”, the ex-Algerian military head of a GSPC unit who was behind the abduction of 32 Europeans in South Algeria in 2003. He was arrested in 2004 by Chad rebels and delivered to Algerian authorities.
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