Ivory Coast said Friday it is reinforcing security along its northern border following an “unusual flow of refugees” fleeing escalating violence by armed groups in neighboring Mali.
In a statement issued after a Thursday meeting of the National Security Council, Ivorian authorities said military leaders were instructed to boost security measures along the frontier to respond to the growing influx.
According to the statement, the rise in refugee arrivals is “reportedly due to attacks on civilians by Armed Terrorist Groups in several localities in southern Mali.” It added that Ivorian officials are working to register asylum seekers entering the country.
The statement did not specify which groups were responsible for the attacks.
Mali has been battling militants from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-affiliated group that in September announced a fuel blockade, causing long queues at petrol stations in the capital Bamako and temporary school closures.
JNIM militants have expanded operations in western Mali and continue advancing southwards toward Ivory Coast, raising regional concerns over the security situation.
Mali’s foreign minister this week dismissed suggestions that militants could soon threaten or seize Bamako, calling such claims “implausible.”
More than a decade of armed insurgencies across the Sahel has displaced millions and heavily strained regional economies, prompting Ivory Coast and other coastal states to increase investments in border security to prevent militant spillover.