Burkina Faso: JNIM’s use of landmines and explosive devices

Burkina Faso has been one of the central battlegrounds in the Sahel’s expanding jihadist conflict for more than a decade. The al-Qaeda-affiliated coalition Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) is one of the main armed groups operating there, alongside Islamic Read More …

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: 20 attackers killed, 4 soldiers wounded in terrorist attack on the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey

The attack perpetrated on the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, the capital of Niger, on the night of January 28 to 29, 2026, by terrorists who came on motorcycles, was met with a “vigorous air-land response” from the Nigerien 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 …

Burkina Faso: ICITAP Counter-IED Advisors Train Burkinabe National Police in First Demolition Course

On January 19, ICITAP Counter-IED Advisors delivered Burkina Faso’s Groupe Spéciale d’Intervention de la Police Nationale (GSIPN) its first-ever explosives safety and demolition range instruction, marking a historic milestone in ICITAP’s engagement with the Burkinabe National Police. This session was Read More …

Niger: 45 terrorists neutralised, 26 detained in military operations

Niger’s defence and security forces announced that 45 terrorists were neutralised and 26 individuals were detained on suspicion of involvement or complicity with armed terrorist groups during air and ground operations carried out across the country. In a statement, the Read More …

Sahel: Boko Haram’s intelligence networks fuel its deadly resurgence

Since launching its Camp Holocaust offensive at the beginning of 2025, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has carried out over 200 attacks, killing at least 500 people. And Jama’tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), excelling in predatory offensives and Read More …

Mali: JNIM attack Senegal-Mali fuel convoys disrupting key trade route

In early September 2025, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, announced a blockade on fuel imports into Mali, particularly affecting key trade routes near Kayes and Nioro in the west. Since then, JNIM militants have repeatedly targeted 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 …

UNOCT: Terror threat posed by ISIL ‘remains volatile and complex’

The threat posed by the terrorist group ISIL remains dynamic and diverse, with Africa currently experiencing the highest level of activity worldwide. While multiple ISIL leaders have perished in the past few years, “the group has managed to retain its Read More …

Burkina Faso: Militant attack on military base in Dargo kills 50 troops

A deadly assault on a military base in Dargo, northern Burkina Faso, has left around 50 soldiers dead. Local sources told the Associated Press that about 100 militants stormed the base on Monday, killing troops before looting and setting it 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 …

Malian Army Kills Senior ISIS Leader In The Greater Sahara

The General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces announced on Saturday the killing of a prominent foreign leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), during a military operation conducted in the Chimame area, approximately 40 kilometers north Read More …

Mali army foils attempted infiltration in Timbuktu

The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) have announced that they successfully repelled an attempted infiltration targeting their military base in the northern city of Timbuktu. According to the General Staff of the FAMa, thirteen assailants were neutralised during a counter-offensive launched Read More …

Burkina Faso: Al Qaeda affiliate says 200 soldiers killed in recent attacks

A West African al Qaeda affiliate said it killed 200 soldiers in an attack on an army base in Burkina Faso this week, according to a group that tracks the online activity of Islamist militants. Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin 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 …

Nigeria, Sahel militants embrace DIY drone warfare

Under the cover of darkness, the jihadists moved into Wulgo, where the shores of Lake Chad meet the arid countryside of northern Nigeria. Around 1:00 am, a “barrage” of rocket-propelled grenades was fired, sending Cameroonian troops, stationed there as part Read More …

UN Security Council hears of persistent and evolving Da’esh threat

The terrorist group Da’esh, also known as ISIL, remains a serious global security threat despite years of sustained efforts to dismantle its operations, UN counter-terrorism officials warned during a Security Council meeting on Monday. The discussion focused on the 20th Read More …