MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. Russia and Gambia have reviewed the current situation in Sahara and Sahel, and the rising terrorist threat in the region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a news conference following talks with Gambian Foreign Minister Mamodou Tangara.

"We talked about the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region with a focus on the situation in hotspots, including the situation in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad," he said. "We expressed concern about the rising terrorist threat from jihadist organizations affiliated with the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda (both are banned in Russia)."

Lavrov said these groups are spreading their activities to other West African countries.