Violent Extremism in the Sahel
The persistent and growing strength of violent extremist organizations in the Sahel threatens to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis and spread instability across Africa, posing significant security and financial risks to the United States and Europe. The continuing collapse of international counterterrorism support, as well as weakening leadership in regional efforts, has created a vacuum in which violent extremism can expand. Organizations including Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), Islamic State in the West African Province (ISWAP), and others have already taken advantage of that vacuum, using countries in the region as platforms to launch indiscriminate attacks on government forces and civilians alike. Other non-state actors, such as the Wagner Group, have also capitalized on the absence of foreign involvement to expand their influence. The possible convergence of security threats, including increased cooperation among terrorist organizations, and between terrorist and criminal organizations, could intensify the danger those groups pose in the region and beyond.
Background
Spanning the area from Senegal to Eritrea, situated between the Sahara to the north and the African tropics to the south, the Sahel region has long faced severe, complex security and humanitarian crises. Since gaining independence in the 1960s, many countries in the Sahel have experienced violent extremism due to the confluence of weak and illegitimate governance, economic decline, and the worsening effects of climate change. Violence, conflict, and crime have surged over the last decade, transcending national borders and posing significant challenges to countries both in and outside the region. The Sahel remains a principal transit point for migrants traveling from sub-Saharan Africa to northern coastal states and on to Europe. Further violence could exponentially increase the rate of displacement and migration from the region, compounding pressures on northern and coastal African states and Europe. The epicenters of violence and humanitarian disaster are in the Liptako-Gourma and Lake Chad Basin subregions.
Liptako-Gourma is in the central Sahel, in the borderlands of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Current instability is associated with the collapse of the Libyan state in 2011, which led to the proliferation of weapons and armed fighters in the region. The influx of extremists into northern Mali reignited the dormant Tuareg rebellion [PDF] in 2012, which had previously surfaced in 1963, 1990, and 2006. Representing only 10 percent of the Malian population, the Tuareg people, organized under the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), sought an autonomous state and aligned themselves with multiple Islamist groups, including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), and Ansar Dine to push government forces out of the north. Then-President Amadou Toumani Touré was deposed in a March 2012 coup by the army, which disapproved of the government’s failure to suppress the rebellion. The consequent collapse of state institutions in the north enabled the MNLA to capture the regional capitals of Gao, Kidal, and Timbuktu; the group had declared the independent state of Azawad [PDF] in northern Mali by April. The MNLA quickly split from al-Qaeda and other allied Islamist groups in June following their attempt to impose Islamic law and declare an Islamic caliphate over the northern territory.
After a period of relative calm, the crisis deteriorated in January 2013 as AQIM, MUJAO, and Ansar Dine pushed further south to capture Konna in central Mali. In August, Mali transitioned back to a civilian-led government under Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, which later signed a peace agreement with a coalition of Tuareg independence groups including the MNLA in 2015. The coalition excluded Islamist organizations, which quickly took advantage of the agreement to expand their control, spreading further into central Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. Liptako-Gourma has since become a hotbed for violent extremism in the Sahel.
Notable attacks targeting the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali, the Splendid Hotel in Burkina Faso, and L’Etoule du Sud Hotel in Ivory Coast in 2015 and 2016 demonstrated the extent of the Islamist threat to the Sahel and West Africa. In September 2016, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) surfaced in Burkina Faso, launching its first major attack on a border post near the Burkinabe city of Markoye. In 2017, several al-Qaeda affiliates merged to form Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM). The emergence of ISGS and JNIM have intensified violence in the Sahel. Both JNIM and ISGS have pushed farther south in Liptako-Gourma, threatening the security of West Africa’s relatively stable coastal states. JNIM has more recently gained control over territory in northern and central Mali, while ISGS has been confined to northern Burkina Faso and western Niger due to clashes with JNIM that began in 2020.
Violent extremism in the Lake Chad Basin at the intersection of Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria prevailed in the same period with the reemergence of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria. Founded by Muhammed Yusuf in northeastern Nigeria in 2002, Boko Haram was forced underground in 2009 after Nigerian police forces killed over seven hundred members, including Yusuf, during a raid that July. In June and August 2011, Boko Haram resurfaced, indicating its more expansive and aggressive strategy by launching suicide attacks [PDF] on police and the UN headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. The group gained international notoriety following its abduction of 276 girls from the town of Chibok, Nigeria, giving rise to the global Bring Back Our Girls movement in April 2014.
In 2015, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the self-proclaimed Islamic State and rebranded as the Islamic State in the West African Province (ISWAP). A splinter faction of the original Boko Haram was active until 2021, when ISWAP killed its leader, absorbed its territory, and relegated its members to remote islands in Lake Chad. ISWAP has since established control of northeastern Nigeria and parts of Niger.
Experts attribute the expansion of violent extremism in the Sahel to persistently weak governance, characterized by corruption, democratic backsliding, legitimacy deficits, and human rights violations. Many countries in the region share similar internal dynamics of inequality [PDF]—state power tends to be concentrated in southern, urban regions while rural, northern areas remain underdeveloped and ripe for exploitation by extremist groups. Thus, Sahel countries are consistently ranked high on the Fragile State Index, particularly Chad, Mali, and Nigeria. Frequent transfers of power are also a problem: Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger experienced a combined twenty-five successful coups d’état between 1960 and 2022. Consecutive military coups in Mali in 2020 and 2021, resulting in Mali’s current interim government under a military junta, launched the region’s most recent so-called coup epidemic, which saw similar occurrences in Burkina Faso, Chad, and Niger.
The death of Chadian President Idriss Déby on April 20, 2021, created a leadership crisis in regional counterterrorism efforts. Under Déby, Chad and its military acted as a linchpin in regional security coalitions across both Liptako-Gourma and the Lake Chad Basin. The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF)—comprised of Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria—was activated in 2014 to respond to the threat of Boko Haram, organized crime, and banditry in the Lake Chad Basin. In February 2017, France and the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5) countries—Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger—announced the creation of the G5 Sahel Force, a five-thousand-troop-strong counterterrorism force aimed at fighting militant groups with an expanded mandate to cross borders in the Sahel region. Increasing civilian casualties and severe human rights violations by security forces in Chad, Mali, and Nigeria have further undermined regional and national efforts.
In 2013, international involvement began in earnest when French forces entered Mali at the request of the Malian government. Operation Serval, later transformed into Operation Barkhane, became a three-thousand-strong force based in N’Djamena, Chad, focused on rooting out violent extremists in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, in partnership with local governments and with the support of Chad and Mauritania. In 2015, Operation Barkhane’s mandate expanded to provide additional support to the MNJTF [PDF] in its fight against Boko Haram. Operation Barkhane was quickly succeeded by the establishment of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINSUMA) and, in 2020, support from the European Union–led Task Force Takuba. By 2020, France had deployed 5,100 troops supported by 15,000 UN peacekeepers from around the world.
The United States has also provided logistics and advisory support to both the MNJTF and G5 Sahel Force. In addition, the U.S. military has increased its presence in the Sahel, deploying approximately 1,500 troops to the region and building a drone base in Niger as a platform for strikes against groups across West and North Africa. On October 4, 2017, members of the U.S. Special Operations Task Force were ambushed by an Islamic State–affiliate group in Tongo Tongo, Niger, leading to the deaths of four servicemen. The United States also remains a top donor of humanitarian assistance; continues to provide military training, such as the Flintlock program; and has delivered millions of dollars of arms to the region.
Despite increased international involvement, the campaign against militants has instead caused the spread of militancy to countries across the Sahel. That failure, coupled with France’s growing unpopularity in its former colonies, led French President Emmanuel Macron to announce on July 13, 2021, that Operation Barkhane would end in the first quarter of 2022. In February 2022, France and its European allies comprising Task Force Takuba also announced their intent to withdraw all troops from Mali, ending their nearly decade-long intervention.
Violent extremists exploited the resulting security vacuum with heightened attacks across the Sahel. The first six months of 2022 saw a dramatic increase in attacks, particularly in the Liptako-Gourma area and spilling into coastal West Africa. More than two thousand civilians were killed during this period, an over 50 percent increase from 2021. Many attacks have specifically targeted MINUSMA, which has been dubbed the United Nations’ most dangerous peacekeeping mission. In lieu of French support, the Malian military junta sought security assistance from the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organization involved in other fragile contexts including the Central African Republic, Libya, Mozambique, Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine. Since its introduction in December 2021, the Wagner Group has deployed one thousand mercenaries to Mali housed at fifteen outposts, including former French bases. March 2022 was the deadliest month recorded by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project since 1997—coinciding with renewed activism by ISGS along the Niger-Mali border and the Moura massacre in central Mali. On March 23, Malian soldiers accompanied by Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group launched a five-day attack on the town to root out Islamist militants, killing more than three hundred civilians.
Prospects for regional and international counterterrorism efforts deteriorated further in May 2022 when the Malian government officially terminated its Defense Cooperation Treaty with France alongside the Status of Force Agreement formerly governing France and the European Union’s operations in the country. Mali’s military government also pulled out of the G5 Sahel—greatly diminishing the organization’s counterterrorism capacity. In June, JNIM killed 132 villagers in central Mali, the deadliest attack on civilians since the coup.
In June 2023, Mali’s government demanded the departure of MINUSMA, the UN peacekeeping force. The UN agreed to withdraw within six months, raising concerns of a power vacuum and setbacks for Mali’s transition to civilian rule, for which the junta claims a June 2023 referendum was a first step. MINUSMA has also played a key role in assuaging Tuareg separatists, who warn that the UN departure will deal a “fatal blow” to the peace agreement.
An acute humanitarian crisis is exacerbating violent extremism’s threat to regional stability. The last decade of conflict has displaced 2.6 million people in Liptako-Gourma and 2.8 million people in the Lake Chad Basin, with hundreds of thousands of refugees pouring into neighboring countries. Sahel countries consistently rank [PDF] among the world’s poorest with compounding issues [PDF] of poverty, food insecurity, high unemployment, and the world’s fastest-growing population. The Lake Chad Basin crisis has long been recognized as one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world due to the severe harm of climate change and weak governance in rural areas. Temperatures in the Sahel are rising 1.5 times faster than the global average, directly damaging the livelihoods of millions dependent upon natural resources. Diminishing land and water resources have led to increasingly frequent clashes between herding, farming, and fishing communities. Violent extremist organizations have not only helped worsen humanitarian conditions, including by targeting humanitarian workers, but have also exploited [PDF] insecure conditions to recruit and control populations in the Sahel. In addition, the weakened economies and proliferating violent extremists have increased illicit activity and criminal organizations in the region, further contributing to instability.
Recent Developments
In January 2023, UN experts advocated for an independent investigation into potential war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by government forces and the Wagner Group in Mali. The experts claimed a “climate of terror and complete impunity” characterized the Wagner Group’s activities in the country, pointing to the Moura massacre in March 2022. Wagner’s future in West Africa is less certain after the group’s failed June 2023 rebellion in Russia, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would allow its African operations to continue. In July 2023, the United States accused Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin of orchestrating Mali’s decision to expel MINUSMA to advance Wagner’s interests. Neighboring Burkina Faso has denied contracting Wagner Group, but the interim president said Russia is a strategic ally.
In 2023, security forces in Mali and Burkina Faso faced allegations of civilian massacres. First, in April, survivors of a massacre in Burkina Faso blamed the military for the deaths of 136 civilians. Then, in May, the UN released a report accusing Malian soldiers and foreign fighters of executing more than five hundred civilians in a March 2022 operation. Meanwhile, armed groups have stepped up attacks on poorly trained civilian volunteer forces. The withdrawal of the UN from Mali raises the risk of violence against civilians, as extremist groups might attempt to seize urban centers as they have in Burkina Faso.
A July 26 coup d’etat in Niger, the ninth attempted overthrow of a West African government in the last three years, dealt a significant blow to counterterrorism and stabilization efforts in the Sahel. Niger’s government fended off a coup attempt in March 2021, two days before President-elect Mohamed Bazoum assumed office, but the most recent coup attempt succeeded in unseating him. Despite pressure from ECOWAS, including sanctions and the threat of military intervention, the coup leaders have refused to cede power and declared a new government. The military junta have since announced that they will prosecute Bazoum for treason; Bazoum is currently being held in an undisclosed location after a failed escape from his home in Niamey. In response, the African Union suspended Niger, which was the institution’s first public communication since it convened immediately following the coup. Nearby military regimes Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mali have backed junta, with the latter two vowing to treat military intervention in Niger as a “declaration of war.” On September 16, the military leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger signed a mutual defense pact, solidifying their alliance against external intervention.
Niger had become the West’s last major counterterrorism partner in the Sahel in recent years after a series of coups in neighboring countries, but the takeover threatens to upend its status as a bulwark against an expanding power vacuum. Shortly after seizing power, the coup leaders ceased military cooperation with France, which moved its troops to Niger in 2022 as its relations with Mali deteriorated. On October 22, France completed the withdrawal of its forces from Niger, repatriating troops and equipment via Chad and Cameroon.
In contrast, the United States signaled that it will pursue pragmatic relations with Niger’s military junta. This came shortly after the United States officially designated the military takeover a coup, requiring the United States to suspend over $500 million in economic and military aid. The United States still maintains around one thousand troops in the country, and recently resumed drone flights and manned counterterrorism operations from its bases in the country. However, there is increased fear that Russia’s Wagner Group is “taking advantage” of Niger’s instability to expand its regional influence, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned after the coup.
Meanwhile, extremist violence has surged across the Sahel. The first seven months of 2023 saw at least 7,800 civilian deaths, a significant increase from 2022, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED). This data contradicts claims by the military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger that they are effectively tackling insecurity.
Mali is on the brink of civil war as Islamist groups and Tuareg rebels consolidate power in northern Mali. The increase in violence coincides with the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers with attacks more than doubling since they completed the first phase in August. JNIM, in particular, has taken advantage of the withdrawal to launch a renewed offensive, blockading the northern city of Timbuktu and carrying out a series of attacks on military and civilian targets. In parallel, Mali has redeployed its forces to the northeast as clashes intensify with Tuareg rebels comprising the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA). The Wagner Group is said to be leading the Malian offensive to overtake the rebel stronghold in Kidal.
Recent violence in Mali has spilled over into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. On September 5, seventeen soldiers and thirty-six volunteer fighters were killed in clashes with Islamist militants in northern Burkina Faso. Less than a month later, twenty-nine soldiers were killed in an attack by ISGS in western Niger. Worsening instability has led to increasing democratic backsliding as the military governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are struggling to regain control in the wake of dissolving international support.
Nigerian Students Freed
One hundred schoolchildren who were kidnapped in northwestern Nigeria last month have been freed, President Bola Tinubu wrote on social media (X). Officials did not immediately disclose whether any arrests had been made or ransom paid; some 165 students and school staff are still missing (NYT). Widespread kidnappings in Nigeria contribute to it having one of the world’s highest totals of children out of school (BBC).
Mali Recovers $1.2 Billion From Mining Firms
Following a comprehensive audit, Mali’s government recovered $1.2 billion in arrears from mining companies that have reached settlements with the government; the audit led to the creation of a new mining code, which officials expect will boost annual revenues by about $1 billion from the audited firms (Business Insider Africa).
U.S. Strategy Shift in Nigeria
The Trump administration has outlined an expanded approach to counter attacks on Christians in Nigeria, combining diplomatic pressure, potential sanctions, security assistance, and intelligence-sharing; a friendly meeting between U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Nigeria’s national security adviser earlier this week exemplified this mixed approach (AP). Separately, the Christian Association of Nigeria said that fifty of the students abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger state escaped over the weekend; authorities say most abductees are still being held by gunmen, as security forces continue search efforts (Reuters).
Armed Kidnapping in Nigerian Catholic School
The Christian Association of Nigeria said at least 227 students and staff were abducted from St. Mary’s School in Niger state, the country’s largest school kidnapping since 2024, amid a surge in attacks that has already forced the closure of dozens of schools; police launched search operations in nearby forests as officials noted the school had ignored warnings to shut (Reuters). The abductee count was later revised to over 300 (BBC). Separately, thirty-eight church worshippers were kidnapped in Kwara State, a church official said; the abductees were later released on Sunday (AFP).
Terrorist Attack Kills At Least Ten Soldiers in Niger
The attack by militants from the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin occurred in the Tillaberi region, near the border with Mali and Burkina Faso, with some sources placing the soldier death count as high as twenty (Reuters). Meanwhile, in Nigeria, a court sentenced Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra group, on terrorism charges, accusing him of inciting attacks during Nigeria’s civil war decades ago; analysts warn the conviction may inflame separatist sentiment in Igbo-majority regions (AP).
Gunmen Attack Nigerian Church
The terror attack, whose perpetrators are suspected to be Boko Haram militants, killed two people and prompted Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to deploy 900 troops to the area (AP).
Gunmen Abduct Twenty-Five Schoolgirls
Armed attackers stormed a boarding school in Kebbi state before dawn, killing at least one staff member and seizing twenty-five girls in the latest mass abduction by ransom-seeking bandit groups operating across northern Nigeria; police said the gunmen arrived on motorcycles and exchanged fire with guards before fleeing, prompting a coordinated search effort (NYT). In response to the kidnapping, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu postponed his planned departure for the Johannesburg G20 summit, pledging stronger security operations amid criticism that authorities ignored early warnings (Al Jazeera). Separate from the school abduction, the Islamic State West Africa Province, an affiliate of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, claimed it captured and killed a Nigerian brigadier general, though the Nigerian army denied this (AP).
Surge in Malian Refugee Arrivals
The Ivory Coast said it was monitoring “unusual refugee flows” from Mali, as al-Qaeda-linked militants escalate attacks on Malian civilians; Ivorian security forces said they were reinforcing their border with Mali to prevent any threats (Reuters).
Mali Rejects Fears of Jihadist Advance
Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop dismissed warnings that militants from the al Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin could threaten Bamako, the capital city, saying the group’s fuel blockade is being contained and that insurgents are “no match” for government forces (Reuters).
AU Rejects U.S. Claims of Genocide in Nigeria
African Union Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf dismissed the assertion of a Christian genocide, stressing that Boko Haram’s primary victims have long been Muslims and rebuffing comparisons of the situation to atrocities in Sudan or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where ethnic violence has killed thousands (Reuters).
Joint Counternarcotics Cooperation
Nigeria will coordinate with US and UK forces to investigate the arrival of 1,000 kilograms of cocaine at a Lagos port and dismantle the responsible cartel; Nigeria remains a major transit hub for drug traffickers (AP).
Niger Keeps Borders With Benin Closed Over Security Concerns
Nigerien President Abdourahamane Tchiani said that Niger’s border with Benin would remain closed due to Benin’s “security situation;” Tchiani directly accused Benin of hosting French troops and claimed that it was allowing Western countries to finance and support terrorism to destabilize the Alliance of Sahel States (AfricaNews). Meanwhile, clashes between Boko Haram and the self-proclaimed Islamic State West Africa Province in northeast Nigeria left two hundred fighters dead; the two groups have been competing for territory and influence on the shores of Lake Chad, a region that has become a hotbed of insurgent activity (Guardian). Finally, the African Union called for urgent international intervention in Mali as al-Qaeda-linked militants maintained a fuel blockade and tightened their grip on the country, with Western governments advising citizens to leave immediately (Reuters).
Nigeria Vows Increased Counterterror Operations
Nigeria’s newly inaugurated army head made the promise as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military intervention in the country (AP).
U.S. Official Praises Malian Junta’s Fight Against JNIM
As a fuel blockade imposed by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) militants continues to grind everyday life to a halt in the Malian capital city of Bamako, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau praised the country’s military junta for its response, noting that he looked forward to “greater cooperation” between the two countries; the statement may represent a shift in policy towards the Sahel, as the Trump administration looks to repair relationships with military-led governments in the region that are currently battling insurgencies (AP). Despite this U.S. commendation, France later suggested that the junta’s decision to replace French with Russian forces in the battle against the jihadis led to the failure of the Malian government’s security strategy (Reuters).
Nigerian Forces Kill Nineteen Bandits
The army said it conducted a raid on a hideout in Kano’s Shanono area, with three soldiers killed in the clashes with the armed vigilantes; in a separate incident, Nigerian and Nigerien forces repelled a Boko Haram-Islamic State West Africa Province assault on a Borno forward base, killing several militants and conducting follow-up airstrikes (Reuters).
United States Designates Nigeria as “Country of Particular Concern”
Following President Trump’s announcement ordering the Pentagon to prepare for military action in Nigeria, the U.S. State Department designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for its alleged religious freedom violations against Christians; Trump previously designated Nigeria as a CPC during his first term, but the Biden administration reversed the move after deciding that Nigeria did not meet the criteria for such a designation (ABC).
Trump Orders Pentagon to Prepare for Possible Action in Nigeria
President Trump threatened to cut off aid and authorize military action in Nigeria to stop killings of Christians there; Trump accused the Nigerian government of allowing the killings to take place and warned the U.S. military could go in “guns-a-blazing” (Guardian). Trump’s order follows a previous announcement in which he claimed Christianity was facing an existential crisis in the country (CNN). Islamist insurgent groups have been active in the country for years, though the majority of their victims are Muslim (NPR). An advisor to Nigeria’s president said Abuja welcomed U.S. assistance fighting insurgents “as long as it recognizes our territorial integrity” (Reuters).
First JNIM Attack in Nigeria
The al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin claimed that it had killed a soldier in central Nigeria after attacking a security patrol, marking the terrorist group’s first attack in the country (Al Jazeera). Separately, Washington warned Americans to avoid Niger following the abduction of a U.S. missionary in Niamey earlier this month, saying it cannot provide consular assistance outside the capital; the State Department also authorized family departures for embassy staff and imposed strict movement restrictions (Reuters).
Al-Qaeda’s Advance in Mali
The rebel group’s Mali faction, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen (JNIM), is close to capturing Mali’s capital, Bamako, security experts told the Wall Street Journal; if the al-Qaeda-linked militants succeed, it would make Mali the first country to be run by the U.S.-designated terrorist group (WSJ). JNIM has blocked fuel imports into the country in recent weeks as part of a pressure campaign against the military junta (WaPo). On Tuesday, the U.S. embassy told Americans in the country to depart (State). Meanwhile, two Emirati citizens abducted by JNIM militants are set to be released after the United Arab Emirates agreed to pay roughly $50 million, with an Iranian hostage also freed as part of the arrangement (Reuters).
Burkina Faso Dissolves Independent Electoral Commission
Burkina Faso’s Transitional Legislative Assembly has voted to dissolve the country’s independent electoral commission, transferring electoral oversight to the Ministry of Territorial Administration; the move consolidates power under the military junta (AfricaNews).
Security Overhaul in Nigeria
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu dismissed the heads of the defense, navy, and air force as attacks by armed groups intensified across the country, though officials denied rumors of a coup attempt following reports of officer arrests; the newly appointed chiefs were tasked with boosting security efforts as analysts warn the reshuffle may reflect growing regime-protection concerns (AP).
Junta Sentences Former Prime Minister of Mali
Former Malian Prime Minister Moussa Mara received a two-year sentence after criticizing the Malian junta, following his arrest earlier this year; human rights groups suggest the conviction reflects the political crackdown that the junta has pursued against opponents of its regime (AP).
Nigerian Forces Repel Drone Raids
Islamist militants launched overnight assaults on four military positions in Borno and Yobe, using armed drones and rocket-propelled grenades before troops pushed them back, killing fifty fighters (Reuters). The attack wounded another seventy militants, whom the army continued to pursue after the firefight (AP).
American Missionary Kidnapped in Niger
The U.S. State Department confirmed the kidnapping of an American missionary in Niamey, Niger; he was reportedly abducted by three men while en route to the airport and taken to a region near the Mali border, an area known for Islamist group activity (Al Jazeera). Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has called on Burkina Faso’s government to investigate the disappearances of judicial officers from the Ouagadougou Court of Appeal; the magistrates were involved in a case concerning fuel smuggling to Islamist groups and are feared to have been forcibly abducted (HRW). Lastly, in Nigeria, a fuel tanker blast killed thirty-five people after overturning on a highway; deadly accidents involving fuel transports occur frequently across the country (Al Jazeera).
Armed Attack in Nigeria Kills Eight Security Personnel
The attack, which occurred in the northwestern Zamfara state, targeted police and a state-allied paramilitary group; the perpetrators remain unknown, though Zamfara has endured months of increased violence among bandits clashing over limited land and water resources (AP).
Islamist Militants Kill Four Nigerian Soldiers
Five other soldiers were wounded in the attack, which was perpetrated by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province fighters in Borno state; troops later cleared explosives planted along the Ngamdu-Damaturu route, reopening the road (Reuters).
Mali Blocks Dozens of Fuel Trucks As Militants Halt Imports
Malian forces held back the roughly seventy fuel tankers destined for Allied Gold’s Sadiola mine after al Qaeda affiliates announced a blockade on fuel entering the country; the disruption follows recent militant attacks on fuel and equipment convoys, highlighting escalating risks for mining operations (Reuters).
Alliance of Sahel States Planning to Expose Nigerian Sponsors of Terrorism
The intelligence agencies of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger launched coordinated operations to uncover senior Nigerian political figures allegedly sponsoring terrorist groups in the Sahel (North Africa Post). The three agencies claimed to have a list of officials implicated in financing these groups and facilitating arms deliveries (Business Insider).
Gunmen Kill Twelve Forest Guards in Nigeria
Armed individuals attacked members of Nigeria’s National Forest Security Service in Oke-Ode, Kwara State, killing twelve and injuring four others; authorities have not identified the assailants, though similar violence in the region often stems from land disputes between farmers and Fulani herders (AP).
Airstrike Near Market Kills at Least Thirty in Niger
An airstrike struck a weekly market in Injar, Tillabery region, in western Niger; no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the area has seen increased Islamist activity as affiliates from the self-proclaimed Islamic State increase their attacks against civilians (Reuters).
Sahel Pullouts from ICC
Nigerian Police Arrest Six After Deadly Ambush Targeting Security Personnel
Nigerian police arrested six suspects and initiated additional search operations after an ambush in Benue State killed three officers and left seven missing; suspected armed herders and militias also destroyed police vehicles and stole motorcycles (Reuters).
Boko Haram Insurgents Raid Nigerian Army Base in Borno
Suspected Boko Haram fighters raided an army barracks in Banki, Borno State, overrunning the facility after hours of gunfire; the insurgents killed and injured multiple soldiers and seized weapons from the base, as panicked residents fled into nearby bushes or across the border into Cameroon (Nigerian Eye).
France Suspends Counterterrorism Cooperation With Mali
France has suspended its counterterrorism efforts with Mali and expelled Malian diplomatic staff after Mali arrested a French agent accused of plotting to destabilize the government; Bamako has not commented on the claims (Reuters).
Mali Escorts Convoys After Militants Attack Fuel Trucks
Al-Qaeda-linked fighters destroyed about one hundred trucks on a key trade route near Torodo, prompting the Malian army to escort buses and tankers; the attack follows Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin’s recent ban on fuel imports, which raised fears of further economic strain (AP/Africanews). Separately, armed assailants opened fire during a baptism in the Tillabéri region of Niger, killing fifteen people before killing seven more nearby, per local media; authorities confirmed the attack but have not released casualty figures (AFP/Elmaestro TV).
Nigerian Military Kills Eleven Islamic State Fighters in Northeast
Troops repelled a terrorist ambush in Borno State, killing eight militants before killing three more in Adamawa with support from vigilantes (Reuters).