The West African nation of Togo has extended a state of emergency in its northern Savanna region for another six months due to continued attacks by Islamist militants.
Togolese parliament approved the time extension of the emergency on Tuesday as a measure to restore security in the affected region.
The Togolese security minister, Damehame Yark who declared this added that the extension was “necessary for the proper conduct of military operations and a return to peace” in the region.
It would be recalled that Togo had declared a three-month state of emergency in the region in June, after Islamist militants attacked an area near the border with Burkina Faso, killing eight troops and wounding 13.
Recently, however, local media said between 15 and 20 people were killed in a series of attacks on July 15. The army gave no official figures about this incident but insider sources confirmed people were killed and wounded.
Besides, the Togolese defence and security forces were again attacked on August 22 in the village of Blamonga, close to the border with Burkina Faso. A few soldiers were injured during an exchange of fire that lasted several minutes before armed groups retreated.
But Togo, after Benin, Ghana and Ivory Coast, is the latest country on the coast of West Africa to become the target of Islamist militants coming from the Sahel region.
