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DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Islamic extremists have displaced half a million people this year in the border area between Burkina Faso and Mali as they expand their range in West Africa's Sahel region.
The fighters linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are exploiting military and government weaknesses as well as local grievances.
A regional counterterror force has failed to stop the attacks and has become a target itself. The worst assault against the force killed at least 38 soldiers this month.
The border between Burkina Faso and Mali is the latest flashpoint in the vast, arid Sahel that stretches across Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
One civil society group in Burkina Faso suggests that local defense groups should form as security forces fail to stop the extremists.
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