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Violent Extremism in the Sahel

Tensions High After Airport Crisis

  • After a tense standoff, Ouagadougou said it released nearly a dozen Nigerian military personnel forced to land without authorization at an airport in Burkina Faso’s second-largest city (Guardian)

Nigerian Intervention in Benin

  • In Abuja, Nigerian lawmakers approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to deploy troops to help Benin suppress its recent coup attempt, following a request from the Benin government for further Nigerian support (Reuters)
  • Nigeria dispatched aircraft to the country via Burkina Faso earlier this week, prompting the Confederation of Sahel States, a union of several Sahel countries, to denounce unilateral Nigerian incursions into Burkinabe airspace (BBC)
  • Burkinabe authorities detained nearly a dozen Nigerian soldiers in response to the incident (Guardian)
  • Separately, Amnesty International said the killings occurred as women were protesting the military’s response to communal clashes in Lamurde, though the army denies responsibility and blames a local militia; the incident has intensified scrutiny of Nigeria’s security forces and prompted calls for an investigation (AP)

Russia’s Africa Corps Committing Widespread Atrocities in Mali

  • An Associated Press report described the flight of civilians from northern Mali as Africa Corps, the Russian military unit that replaced Wagner, carries out beheadings, rapes, organ mutilations, and village burnings while conducting joint operations with Mali’s army; legal experts warn that Africa Corps’ direct integration into Russia’s Defense Ministry makes Moscow internationally responsible for these alleged war crimes (AP)

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)

Nigeria Asks France for Expanded Security Support

  • French President Emmanuel Macron said Nigerian President Bola Tinubu requested the assistance to help confront escalating violence in the country’s north, including jihadist insurgency and mass kidnappings; Macron signaled France will deepen cooperation (DW)

U.S. Visa Bans on Nigerians Linked to Anti-Christian Violence

  • The visa restrictions, which also target those involved in mass killings, are part of a broader response to what U.S. President Donald Trump has called persecution by radical Islamists; the policy follows Nigeria’s recent designation as a “country of particular concern” (State)

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)
  • Meanwhile, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu nominated General Christopher Musa, who was removed as military chief in October, to serve as defense minister (DW)
  • Musa’s dismissal earlier this year was part of an effort by Tinubu to overhaul security operations in the country (AP)

State of Emergency in Nigeria

  • Nigerian President Bola Tinubu declared the emergency following two large school kidnappings and rising attacks on civilians, announcing twenty-thousand new police recruits and authorizing intelligence-led forest guards to secure remote areas; the move comes amid intensified pressure after U.S. President Donald Trump’s warnings over Christian persecution, though analysts say troop increases alone will not resolve Nigeria’s deeper governance and security challenges (AP)

Nigerian Authorities Rescue Abducted Schoolgirls

  • Nigeria’s president announced that all schoolgirls abducted by armed attackers last week have been rescued, though he gave no additional details on the rescue operation; one girl had escaped shortly after the abduction, while the rescue today freed the remaining twenty-four (AP)

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)