UNODC facilitates regional exchange on strengthening cross-border coordination in countering use of IEDs and drones in the Sahel

Terrorist violence continues to pose a serious threat to stability and security across West Africa, with the Sahel region remaining the epicentre of global terrorism-related deaths. In recent years, terrorist groups, particularly those affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq Read More …

Niger: Three soldiers killed in IED attack near Niamey

At least three Nigerien soldiers were killed and 10 others injured on Sunday after an army patrol vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) in Bartchawal, Tillabéri Region, about 20 kilometres from the capital, Niamey. Sources said that the incident Read More …

Nigeria: Dozens of terrorists killed as ISWAP and Boko Haram clash in Borno

Dozens of terrorists were killed on both sides after a renewed violent encounter between the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and elements of the Bukura faction loyal to Abu Umaima along the Lake Chad Basin axis of Abadam Local Read More …

Nigeria: Troops intercept large shipment of IED materials in North East

Troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF) North East, Operation Hadin Kai, have intercepted a large consignment of logistics supplies intended for terrorists in Yobe State. Spokesman Lt. Col. Sani Uba described the interception as a major breakthrough in ongoing Read More …

Niger: Islamic State group escalates attacks on civilians

Islamic State-affiliated militants have stepped up attacks in western Niger, killing more than 127 people in five separate strikes since March and highlighting authorities’ failure to protect civilians, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday. A report by the rights group Read More …

ISWAP’s emergence as epicentre of the Islamic State’s jihadism

A new infographic released by ISIS’s Amaq Agency over the weekend paints a revealing picture of the group’s global operations during the first half of the year. The data, drawn from across ISIS’s various wilayat (provinces), confirms a trend that Read More …

Sahel militants turn civilian drones into deadly weapons

Terror groups are increasingly using new tactics, notably armed suicide or kamikaze drones, according to a government statement released following several attacks on cities in western Mali on 1 July. The use of commercially available small civilian drones for strikes Read More …

Niger: 11 terrorists killed in the Tillabery and Dosso regions

The Nigerien army announced on Sunday that it had killed at least 11 terrorists in response to two coordinated attacks carried out on Wednesday and Thursday in the Tillabery and Dosso regions of western Niger. According to a military statement Read More …

Niger targets jihadist financing, kills 13 in illegal gold mine raids

Niger’s army has raided jihadist-controlled informal mining sites in the country’s west, killing more than a dozen insurgents and seizing material linked to the manufacture of improvised explosive devices, it said. An army statement said the raids took place last Read More …

Niger: Improvised explosive device kills eight gold miners in the Tillaberi region

A bomb blast in insurgent-riven west Niger has killed at least eight workers at the Samira gold mine in the Tillaberi region, local sources told AFP on Tuesday. Located in the borderlands straddling Niger and fellow unrest-hit Sahel neighbours Mali Read More …

Niger: One soldier killed, 13 terrorists arrested in military operations

One soldier was killed by an improvised explosive device and 13 terrorists arrested during military operations carried out between Thursday and Saturday within the national territory, the Nigerien army confirmed on Saturday. A notorious gang leader known for his atrocities Read More …

Lake Chad: Under the radar, women traffic IED parts to Boko Haram

In February last year, two women were arrested in Kolofata, Cameroon, near the Nigerian border, for carrying tiny amounts of ammonium nitrate fertiliser. Kolofata’s gendarmerie brigade commander Ntsie Virgile, who told ENACT about this incident, said the women were arrested Read More …

Niger army says 15 terrorists killed in security operations

The army of Niger has confirmed that it had killed 15 terrorists in operations last Sunday in the western part of the country. According to its weekly bulletin released on Wednesday, the first operation was conducted along the Dargol-Bangno-Tchekirey-Goundey route, Read More …

Niger: At least 44 killed in jihadist attack in Tillabéri Region

Islamist militants killed at least 44 civilians and severely injured 13 others during an attack on a mosque in southwest Niger on Friday, the country’s defence ministry said. The attack occurred during afternoon prayers in the village of Fombita in Read More …

Benin: Militants inflict heavy losses on armed forces in an attack in the north

Militants inflicted heavy losses on Benin’s armed forces during an attack this week on a fortified military post in the north of the country, the military said in a statement. Col. Faizou Gomina, the national guard chief of staff, said Read More …

Sahel: UN Security Council must call out “Ukraine’s support for terrorism”

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have petitioned the president of the UN Security Council to denounce what they call the Ukrainian government’s “open support for international terrorism” in the Sahel. A letter dated August 19 and signed by the envoys Read More …

Mali is still unsafe under the military: why it hasn’t made progress against rebels and terrorists

The scale of casualties suffered by the Wagner group and Malian forces during a recent assault in the Tinzaouaten region reveal vulnerability in Mali’s counterinsurgency posture. The attack was reported in the media as the biggest loss for Russian paramilitaries Read More …

German army to vacate Niger air base in August

The German army will end operations at its air base in Niger by August 31 following the breakdown of talks with the Sahel country’s ruling junta, Germany’s defense ministry said Saturday. All Bundeswehr soldiers stationed at the base will be Read More …