The Conakry public prosecutor's office officially announced on March 21, 2026, the arrest of several individuals suspected of terrorist activities. These arrests, carried out as early as April 2025 in the strategic areas of Siguiri, Mandiana, and Kankan , confirm fears of an expansion of Sahelian armed groups toward coastal countries.

A targeted operation in the gold-mining area

Upper Guinea, a region rich in gold deposits and bordering Mali, is now at the heart of national security issues. Of the eleven people arrested , ten are foreign nationals (from Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso) and only one is Guinean. This composition illustrates the cross-border nature of the dismantled network.

The warning from civil society and religious authorities

The announcement sent shockwaves through the local population:

1. Call for vigilance: Sékou Aïcha Cissé, civil society activist, urges families to exercise the utmost caution to avoid the infiltration of "sleeper cells" within communities.
2. Religious integrity: Djiba Sidibé, coordinator of Islamic associations for peace, firmly dissociated these acts from the practice of Islam. He demands complete transparency from the authorities.

"If a person's name is mentioned, they should be called upon to explain themselves, regardless of their social or religious standing."

The modus operandi: Gold, silver, and recruitment

According to Aliou Barry, director of the Center for Strategic Analysis and Studies, the Jnim group (Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims) is deploying a phased infiltration strategy:

1. Economic control: Investing in artisanal gold mining areas to secure an independent source of financing.
2. Local recruitment: Exploiting the precarious situation of marginalized youth in mining areas.
3. Silent infiltration: Establish discreet bases before carrying out large-scale operations.

Beyond security: The need for the state

While the Guinean government has intensified border controls and the fight against money laundering, experts believe that a military response alone will not suffice. For Aliou Barry, a lasting solution rests on three pillars:

1. Fair justice for all citizens.
2. Access to basic social services .
3. An equitable sharing of mining revenues , in order to thwart extremist recruiters who take advantage of the population's feeling of abandonment.