Guinea has so far been spared attacks by violent extremist groups, but the risk of terrorism spilling over from neighbouring Mali is now on the rise. The March indictment of 11 suspected Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) members in Guinea’s gold mining region bordering Mali shows how vulnerable the country is to the instability affecting the central Sahel.
Attacks by militant groups in Mali near the Guinean border have become more frequent in the past two years, with strikes against a police checkpoint, customs outpost and Chinese-run mining sites near Guinea’s border.
This year, the Yanfolila checkpoint in Mali, 50 km from the Guinea border, was targeted on 16 March. On 4 July, JNIM raided the Kéniéroba prison, where several suspected terrorists are reportedly held. And since early May, JNIM has been disrupting cargo convoys along the Bamako-Kourémalé transit route to Guinea.
Guinea and neighbouring countries
Guinean authorities are taking the terrorist threat seriously. On 22 April, President Mamady Doumbouya established an interagency Special Operations Command centre to prevent and counter the spread of terrorism. This is part of a proactive strategy that began with the creation of the Special Forces Group in 2018 and expanded to include the Rapid Intervention Forces Group in 2021.
