Violent extremist groups in the Sahel, including Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), are exploiting Starlink to enhance their operational capabilities.
Criminal actors are not only trafficking Starlink devices but using them to evade law enforcement and sustain illicit economies. Their ability to do so is underpinned by an illicit supply chain that allows them to obtain Starlink devices and bypass nascent regulations on their use. Starlink, a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites, launched its first 60 satellites in 2019. By March 2025, it had more than 7 100 in orbit. It has been celebrated as a solution to help bridge the global digital divide. This could be particularly valuable in parts of rural Africa where factors such as conflict, limited private investment and tenuous state control continue to constrain internet connectivity.
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Source: Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime
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