UN: Terror attacks in Sahel at a “dangerous tipping point”

The Sahel’s deteriorating security situation has led to concern from the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, according to RFI and agencies on June 15th.

Volker Türk addressed the 62nd Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 15th; he highlighted the increasing number of attacks in the central Sahel region, namely Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

He described the situation as being at a “dangerous tipping point”, referring to terrorist groups becoming increasingly entrenched in the region.

Türk mentioned the April 25th attacks in Mali by the al-Qaeda-linked JNIM and Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), which led the FLA to recapture Kidal.

Concerns were expressed about Burkina Faso, where militants “continue to attack, abduct, and threaten civilians.”

In Niger, Türk warned that the formation of self-defence groups “poses serious risks of abuses and intercommunal violence.”

Self-defence groups are controversial in the Sahel, with Burkina Faso’s VDP being implicated alongside the military in mass killings of civilians, particularly the Fulani community, which is persecuted over suspected Islamist ties.

Jihadists are particularly active in Niger’s southwestern Tillabéri region, which borders Burkina Faso and Mali.

Data from the Global Terrorism Index indicated that the Sahel accounted for nearly half of terror-related deaths in 2025.

Groups affiliated with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda have become increasingly entrenched in the border region between Niger, Nigeria and Benin.

Mali and Niger have accused neighbouring countries, including Benin and the Ivory Coast, of backing terrorism to destabilise the Sahel.

Alongside Burkina Faso, all five countries are former French colonies; Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are junta-led allies that have rejected Western ties and formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) to counter terrorism.

To maintain stability amid jihadist insurgencies, the AES has increasingly sought strategic and security partnerships with Russia, particularly in Mali.

However, Russian mercenaries have been implicated in human rights violations, including sexual violence and murder.

Maghrebi contacted the AES for comment on Türk’s concerns about terrorism in the central Sahel, but has not received a response at the time of publication.

RFI and agencies, Maghrebi.org