JIHADIST AND ETHNO-NATIONALIST TERRORISM AND VIOLENT EXTREMISM | SITUATION It uses the south of the country, in particular, as a safe haven and supply zone for actions in Mali and other neighbouring states. The security situation in Mali has deteriorated sharply since 2015, partly because of AQIM's terrorist activities. Since then, increasing numbers of attacks have also been carried out in major centres in West Africa outside AQIM's core area, on targets frequented primarily by foreigners, such as hotels and restaurants; two Swiss nationals were among the victims of an attack in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) in January 2016. Kidnappings of foreigners in order to finance terrorist activities have also increased since 2015. A Swiss woman abducted in Mali in January 2016 was still being held hostage at the time of going to press. Since March 2017, when AQIM and other jihadist groups merged to form a coalition called ‘Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims’, the terrorist threat situation in Mali has escalated further. This merger has led to an expansion of their area of operations and to more frequent attacks. The jihadist threat is less pronounced in Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria, chiefly on account of the effectiveness of the security authorities and comparatively stable political conditions in those countries. Although Tunisia has expanded its capacity to combat terrorism over the last two years, attacks by local cells of ‘Islamic State’ and AQIM pose a threat to foreign, including Swiss interests, even in urban coastal areas. Central and East Africa The security situation in the states bordering Lake Chad (Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad) remains precarious due to the terrorist activities of Boko Haram. Since 2009, attacks on the civilian population and security forces have resulted in around 20,000 deaths and displaced more than two million people. In August 2016, Boko Haram split into two factions, with one affiliating itself to ‘Islamic State’ under the name ‘West Africa Province’. The split in Boko Haram has done nothing to improve the security situation. The security forces in the region have not succeeded in weakening the two Boko Haram factions significantly, despite intensified and better-coordinated countermeasures. In East Africa, al-Shabaab still controls substantial parts of Somalia and also continues to pose a threat in Kenya. Arabian Peninsula As a result of the conflict between Houthi militia and the current Yemeni government, which is supported militarily by Saudi Arabia, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has been able to consolidate its presence in Yemen. AQAP is willing to attack Western targets and has the capabilities to do so. However, its terrorist activities are currently focussed primarily on local targets. AQAP and ‘Islamic State’ regularly carry out attacks in Yemen. Compared with AQAP, however, the local affiliate of ‘Islamic State’ plays a far less significant role. Afghanistan, Pakistan and South-East Asia Numerous militant Islamist and jihadist groups have a presence in Afghanistan and on the Indian subcontinent. Alongside elements of core al-Qaeda and its local affiliate al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), ‘Islamic State’ SIT UAT ION R E PORT 2 0 1 8 | FIS 37