Islamic State group almost doubled its territory in Mali in under a year, U.N. says

A sign on the northern road exiting in Gao, Northern Mali, reads "welcome to the Islamic state of Gao" on Jan. 30, 2013. Islamic State extremists have almost doubled the territory they control in Mali in less a year. (Jerome Delay/AP)

UNITED NATIONS — Islamic State extremists have almost doubled the territory they control in Mali in less than a year, and their al-Qaida-linked rivals are capitalizing on the deadlock and perceived weakness of armed groups that signed a 2015 peace agreement, United Nations experts said in a new report.

The stalled implementation of the peace deal and sustained attacks on communities have offered the IS group and al-Qaida affiliates a chance "to re-enact the 2012 scenario," they said.