Sahel region accounts for nearly half of terror-related deaths

The Sahel’s fight against terrorism appears increasingly futile as a report finds the region has accounted for nearly half of all terror-related deaths since 2023, as reported by Africa News via AFP on March 19th.

According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) on March 19th, “The epicentre of terrorism has shifted from the Middle East and North Africa, into the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa.”

GTI defines terrorism as “the systematic threat or use of violence, by non-state actors, whether for or in opposition to established authority.”

Burkina Faso had been the most affected country for terrorism for two consecutive years, but was overtaken by Pakistan in 2025.

UN experts warned of the growing threat posed by Islamist militants in the Sahel and West Africa in 2024, which they said was primarily driven by political instability, as well as ethnic and regional disputes.

Islamist groups, such as the al-Qaeda affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), are particularly active in the Sahel.

GTI stated that JNIM’s attacks in Burkina Faso have shifted in recent years to targeting soldiers rather than civilians, with the organisation targeting police detachments and groups with ties to the Burkinabe military.

JNIM also has a presence in West Africa, particularly Nigeria, although the primary Nigerian-based jihadist groups are the Islamic State-affiliated Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Furthermore, jihadist militants have increased operations in the border region between Nigeria, Niger and Benin.

Northern Nigeria experienced 86% more violent incidents in 2025, while Benin experienced irregular, but deadly, cross-border raids by groups like JNIM.

GTI attributes the rise in Islamist terrorism in Benin to jihadist groups expanding operations into West Africa’s coastal countries.

Benin has blamed the growing jihadist threat on a spillover from neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, which, along with Mali, are junta-led states that have been nicknamed the “coup belt.”

It was reported in August 2025 that 90% of Islamic State-linked terror attacks occurred on African soil, with the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) also exploiting ethnic divisions in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

The three junta-led Sahel states have struggled to contain rising Islamist violence, leading them to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a cooperation pact designed to counter terrorism through shared military and intelligence resources.

Africa News via AFP, Maghrebi.org