UN Chief Says He Fears Afghanistan-like Situation in Sahel

UNITED NATIONS - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told AFP on Thursday that he feared the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan would encourage influential jihadist armed groups in the Sahel, as he called for a strengthening of "security mechanisms" in that region.

"I fear the psychological and real impact of what happened in Afghanistan" in the Sahel, Guterres said in an interview. "There is a real danger. These terrorist groups may feel enthusiastic about what happened and have ambitions beyond what they thought a few months ago." Guterres said it is "essential to reinforce security mechanisms in the Sahel," because it "is the most important weak point, which must be treated." "It is not only Mali, Burkina or Niger. Now we have infiltrations in Ivory Coast, in Ghana," he added.