The Sahel region, comprising Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, is experiencing a major security crisis which threatens the whole of the Sahel and is gradually spreading towards the Gulf of Guinea. This insecurity is mainly fuelled by the activism of jihadist groups, notably the Groupe de Soutien à l’Islam et aux Musulmans (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS). These organizations exploit the immensity of the territory, the weak security network and the shortcomings of the local armed forces to assert their hold. In the first place, the civilian population is subject to massacres, abductions and mass displacement, while essential infrastructures, such as schools and hospitals in Niger and Burkina Faso, are regularly targeted, exacerbating humanitarian crises. In Burkina Faso, the JNIM has multiplied improvised explosive devices against the armed forces, while the clashes between the JNIM and the EIS have caused heavy casualties, both military and civilian. In Niger, the region of Makalondi, a strategic crossroads of trade with Burkina Faso, is particularly affected by the repeated attacks with explosives. In Mali, jihadist groups have repeatedly attacked military positions in order to seize equipment and strengthen their offensive capabilities. Faced with this mounting insecurity, on 22 January 2025, the Nigerian Minister of Defence, General Salifou Mody, announced the creation of a joint force of 5 000 soldiers. This contingent, composed of units of the armed forces of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, has the task of countering the activities of terrorist groups in the critical zone of the “three frontiers”.
The Sahel in Peril: mountain of insecurity and regional reactions to the jihadist threat
