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1 1 (May 25, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govefvc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional aResearch Service ~ ~~ ~~informing the legislative d bate since 1914___________________ Responding to State Fragility in Coastal West Africa May 25, 2022 In April 2022, the Biden Administration identified part of coastal West Africa-Benin, C6te d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, and Togo-as a priority region pursuant to the 2019 Global Fragility Act (GFA, Title V of Division J, P.L. 116-94). U.S. military officials and some Members of Congress have expressed concern over a southward expansion of Islamist insurgent violence from the neighboring Sahel region, centering on Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger (see Figure 1). Benin and C6te d'Ivoire have been hardest hit, recording at least two dozen attacks since 2020, many targeting military personnel near their northern borders. Togo has suffered two attacks on northern security outposts since late 2021. Ghana and Guinea have not recorded attacks to date. Analysts have attributed most of these attacks to Sahel-based affiliates of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State that have moved south to procure supplies and seek refuge, including in wildlife preserves in northern Benin and C6te d'Ivoire. Some warn that armed groups may expand their presence by exploiting local tensions and grievances, extending approaches pioneered in the Sahel. Disputes between pastoralists and farmers, along with anger at security force abuses, have reportedly driven extremist recruitment elsewhere in West Africa. Governance challenges may heighten coastal states' vulnerability to conflict. Guinea is under military rule following a 2021 coup. Togo's president, in office since 2005, is among Africa's longest-serving leaders; his government restricts civic space. Benin, previously viewed as a regional democratic leader, has experienced rapid backsliding under its current president. C6te d'Ivoire's president won a constitutionally dubious third term in a violent 2020 election. Ghana is widely considered one of Africa's strongest democracies, though corruption and intercommunal disputes are persistent challenges. In May 2022 congressional testimony, the Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations emphasized the need to strengthen democratic and responsive governance in the region. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11938 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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