Jihadists expand in Sahel

VIOLENT: MILITANT GROUPS NOW OPERATE IN AN AREA OF 1M KM², TWICE THE SIZE OF SPAIN

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TARGET. Ivorian soldiers patrol in Tougbo, northeastern Ivory Coast, near Burkina Faso's border, which has borne the brunt of the attacks. Picture: AFP

(AFP)

Jihadists in Africa’s Sahel region have doubled the scope of their attacks in recent years and now operate in an area twice the size of Spain, leading to 77000 deaths, according to an AFP analysis of Acled data.

The various factions affiliated with al-Qaeda - notably the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) - and the Islamic State (IS) group are now striking across almost all of Mali and Burkina Faso, from western Niger and Nigeria to the Senegal border.

This is according to an AFP study of six years of operations documented by Acled, an independent organisation that records victims of conflicts around the world.

"The security crisis in the Sahel is complex and there are no quick fixes," warned Charlie Werb, an analyst with Aldebaran Threat Consultants.

The number of attacks in the region exploded from 1 900 in 2019 - mainly concentrated on the border between Mali and Burkina Faso - to more than 5 500 in 2024.

There have already been 3 800 attacks recorded until 10 October this year, bringing the total to 28 715 in almost six years.