ABIDJAN, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast is accelerating investment in schools, hospitals, and jobs in its northern region to provide alternatives to violent extremism, the prime minister said on Monday. Northern Ivory Coast is far from commercial centres and borders Mali and Burkina Faso, where Islamist groups are active and have increasingly crossed the border to wage attacks. Recruitment of local youth is a growing concern, Prime Minister Patrick Achi told journalists, adding that the state will beef up border security along with its Western partners. "Ivory Coast and its partners will be able to face the terrorist threat by strengthening security in the north." President Alassane Ouattara said earlier this year that Ivory Coast would spend 1% of its GDP on equipment to prevent terrorists from entering the country.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 08, 2021 21:11 UTC