Togo’s National Assembly Thursday voted in favor of extending a state of security emergency in the Savanes region for another year. The measure follows a recent increase in incursions from terrorist groups near the country’s northern borders.

The measure, authorized by Togolese National Assembly President Chantal Yawa Djigbodi Tségan, is a further extension to President Faure Gnassingbé’s initial state of emergency decreed in June 2022. The state of emergency was initially lengthened by six months in September 2022 but came to an end on March 12, 2023. Thursday’s unanimous National Assembly vote authorizes the Togolese government to retroactively increase the measure for a further twelve months starting from March 13 2023.

Togo’s northern areas have been subjected to incursions since November 2021. Such attacks have increased in recent months and have been concentrated near the country’s northern border with  Burkina Faso. Large areas near the border are controlled by jihadist groups. The measure is intended to grant defense and security forces more flexibility in order to combat attacks by terrorist groups in these areas.