From the UN Dispatch:
The March 13th attack fits into an uncomfortable pattern in which AQIM (al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) has attempted to extend its sphere of influence across the continent by using lethal force against civilians. “It’s only about two months after the attack in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), which was two months after the attack in Bamako (Mali),” notes Carrie Reiling, a Côte d’Ivoire specialist and former Fulbright Scholar, now based at the University of California, Irvine.
 

For the full story, please visit http://www.undispatch.com/is-terrorism-in-west-africa-the-new-normal/.