In an effort to recenter its security approach after military leaders in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger expelled French troops from their territories, Paris announced an expansive deal with Algeria that will allow it to monitor the Sahel without direct troop deployments (BI Africa)
Gas Pipeline Cools Diplomatic Rift
Almost a year after a drone-related controversy spurred members of the Alliance of Sahel States to pull their ambassadors from Algeria, Nigerien President Abdourahamane Tchiani announced a détente in tensions ahead of renewed progress on a proposed trans-Saharan gas project (BI Africa)
Meanwhile, an initial contingent of about one hundred American military personnel arrived in Nigeria to provide non-combat technical advice, with several hundred more expected in the coming weeks (BBC)
Bandits Kill Dozens, Scorch Villages
After armed bandits on motorbikes massacred civilians and burned villages in a series of attacks in Nigeria’s Niger state, residents have described trauma, isolation, and government-mandated curfews intended to curb violence (BBC)
Though national armed forces in the Sahel have long relied on drone technologies to combat extremist insurgencies, militants themselves—chief among them JNIM, which has launched nearly a hundred drone attacks since 2023—are increasingly improvising repurposed devices for tactical and monitoring purposes (Al Jazeera)
Shunned in Europe, Russia Turns to Africa
Moscow’s foreign ministry announced a dramatic shift in Russian foreign policy from Europe to Africa, where Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow will send hundreds of diplomats to reopen more than a dozen shuttered embassies across the continent (BI Africa)
Plan for U.S. Troops in Nigeria
The United States is sending two hundred troops to Nigeria to help train local forces to combat Islamist extremists, a spokesperson for U.S. Africa Command told the Wall Street Journal; they will be stationed around the country but won’t directly participate in combat or operations, a Nigerian military spokesperson said (WSJ)
The deployment follows a U.S. warship’s December strikes on camps that Washington said belong to the self-declared Islamic State (NPR)
Meanwhile, in its latest crackdown on free speech, Mali’s military junta detained the editor of a popular weekly newspaper after the outlet ran a story critical of Niger’s General Abdourahamane Tchiani; the move comes amid existing bans on sources including Jeune Afrique and France24 (AP)
Nigerien Military Kills Civilians in Market Strike
A drone strike in western Niger, which killed three Islamic State militants, killed at least seventeen civilians—among them four children—in what human rights groups said could amount to war crimes (HRW)
Tinubu Sends Troops to Kwara State
President Bola Tinubu announced the deployment of an army contingent to the besieged Kwara state, where jihadist militants killed nearly two hundred in the country’s deadliest attack this year; in his announcement, Tinubu decried the militants as “cowardly and barbaric” (Reuters)
Details Emerge in Kwara State Massacre
After initial reports that jihadists killed nearly two hundred in western Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu attributed the attack to Boko Haram militants, who were alleged to have reacted to Muslims’ rejection of the group’s religious ideology (BBC)
The government announced a new military effort to contain the spread of extremism; Amnesty International called the incident a “stunning security failure” (AP)
Jihadists Kill 170 in Kwara State
Armed jihadists killed at least 170 and burned infrastructure in western Nigeria’s Kwara state, marking the country’s deadliest attack this year (Reuters)
The news comes as Nigerian officials confirmed the presence of a small American military contingent to assist Lagos with intelligence-gathering and training efforts (BBC)
Washington Wades Back Into Sahel
On a diplomatic visit to Bamako, a top Africa diplomat at the State Department will aim to advance “shared security and economic interests” with leaders in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger (BBC)
After a string of military coups d’état isolated the Sahel’s juntas from the West, Washington’s sudden change of heart comes as the region’s beleaguered governments are eager to combat terrorist insurgencies (CFR)
Nigerian Police Say Abducted Worshippers Were Returned
Nigerian police stated that eighty worshippers abducted by gunmen from three churches were returned; the Christian Association of Nigeria disputed this claim (Reuters)
Nigerian Army Kills Top Boko Haram Commander
The Nigerian army killed Abu Khalid, second-in-command of Boko Haram in the Sambisa Forest, as well as ten additional militants in a night operation in Borno State (Reuters)
Boko Haram Attack in Nigeria, Self-Proclaimed IS Attacks Niger Airport
A suspected Boko Haram attack killed twenty-five in Sabon Gari, a town in Nigeria’s Borno State, when gunmen opened fire on a construction site; the incident marks the deadliest Islamist attack since U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the December 25 air strikes (Reuters)
Separately, the self-proclaimed Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack on an air base in Niger’s capital that wounded four soldiers and damaged one aircraft, according to the Amaq News Agency, the group’s propaganda wing (AP)
During the attack, militants reportedly roamed freely around passenger aircraft and set off explosions; a senior analyst at ACLED further assessed that more experienced drone operators from the self-proclaimed Islamic State West Africa Province may have supported the attack (Reuters)
Burkina Faso Eliminates Political Parties
In the Burkinabè junta’s latest crackdown to consolidate power, Ouagadougou announced it would dissolve Burkina Faso’s political parties and ordered groups to direct their assets to the government (AP)
Meanwhile, militants from the self-proclaimed Islamic State West Africa Province used drones to raid an army base in Nigeria’s Borno State; the attack killed multiple troops and marked the second assault of the week (Reuters)
Armed Gang Members Kill Three Policemen in Nigeria
Suspected armed gang members killed three police officers and wounded two others in an ambush on a routine patrol in Katsina state (Reuters)
Meanwhile, an academic report describes evolving kidnapping trends in the Sahel, where locals are being abducted at greater rates than foreigners—once the prime target for enormous ransoms from Western governments (ADF Magazine)
Eleven Freed in Hostage Rescue
Nigeria’s army used surveillance technology to intercept a convoy of civilians kidnapped nearly three months ago as their captors attempted to relocate them in the middle of the night (Reuters)
Abuja Readies for Coup Trial
Nigeria’s military said it was preparing for a military trial of officers accused of attempting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu last year (BBC)
After Kidnapping, Residents Describe Violence, Uncertainty
Amid promises from the Nigerian government to bolster security and infrastructure in a village where an armed gang kidnapped over 150 on Sunday, residents recount beatings and fear during and after the attack (BBC)
Nigeria Church Attackers Demand Ransom
The gunmen who attacked a church in Nigeria and abducted over 150 worshippers are demanding seventeen motorcycles as ransom from the victims’ families (AP)
Meanwhile, at Ouagadougou’s request, Togo arrested and extradited Burkina Faso’s former transitional president, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba (AP)
Security experts say the move could invite future security-related cooperation in northern Togo, where Lomé is working to tighten security in an effort to contain jihadist violence (AFP)
Boko Haram Attack in Borno State
At least eight Nigerian soldiers were killed and approximately fifty others wounded when Boko Haram insurgents attacked a military formation in Borno State (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Nigerian troops rescued sixty-two hostages and killed two militants in operations in Kebbi and Zamfara states (Reuters)
Soldiers Killed in Militant Attack in Northwestern Nigeria
Militants ambushed security personnel responding to an attack in Zamfara State, killing five soldiers and one police officer (Reuters)
Separately, Togolese authorities arrested and expelled former Burkina Faso President Paul‑Henri Damiba after alleging he plotted a coup and assassination attempt targeting current military leader President Ibrahim Traoré (Reuters)
Nigerian Airstrikes Kill Militants in Borno State
The Nigerian Air Force conducted strikes in Borno State, killing more than forty militants and destroying ten canoes used for operations along local waterways (Reuters)
Meanwhile, armed bandits abducted worshippers from two churches in Kurmin Wali; Nigerian police reported dozens abducted, while a senior church leader estimated more than 160 were taken (Reuters)
Questionable Source of Washington’s Nigeria Policy
The Trump administration and Republican lawmakers have drawn on dubious data traced to Emeka Umeagbalasi, a shop owner who acknowledged his database on violence against Christians often draws on unverified claims (NYT)
After RSF Attack, Chad Rethinks Sudan Position
Tensions heightened in N’Djamena after RSF forces killed seven Chadian soldiers, sparking concerns that Chad could drop its neutral status in the Sudan crisis and take on a more active role (Times of Israel)