The Global Terrorism Index (GTI shows that incidents in the Sahel have increased significantly over the past five years.
West Africa's Sahel region remains the global epicentre of violent extremism, accounting for the majority of all terrorism-related deaths last year, according to a new report.
The Global Terrorism Index (GTI), released on Wednesday, shows that incidents in the Sahel have increased significantly over the past five years, with more than half of all deaths related to violent extremism in 2024 and an increasing number of countries affected. The number of deaths recorded as a result of terrorism in the region has increased almost tenfold since 2019, it said.
The Sahel accounted for 51 percent of all deaths caused by violent extremism, while the total number of conflict-related deaths in the region exceeded 25,000 for the first time since the inception of the Index, according to the report.
Published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, an international think-tank specialising in peace, conflict and risk, the GTI provides a comprehensive summary of key global trends and patterns in terrorism.
It has been published since 2000. This (12th) edition shows that terrorism remains a persistent global threat, with 2024 marking another year of changing patterns and evolving challenges as the geographic reach of terrorism expands.
“The number of countries experiencing at least one terrorist incident increased from 58 to 66, the most countries affected since 2018,” the report reads. “In 2024, more countries deteriorated than improved for the first time in seven years, with 45 countries reporting a higher impact from terrorism, while only 34 showed improvement.”
Islamic State (IS) and its affiliates remained the deadliest terrorist organisation in 2024, responsible for 1,805 deaths in 22 countries, according to the report. IS is listed among four major terrorist organisations, including Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and al-Shabaab, which continued to increase their activity, with the number of deaths attributed to them rising by 11 per cent to 4,204.
In 2023, these groups were active in 29 countries, rising to 30 countries in 2024.
Political turmoil in the Sahel, fuelled by weak governance, ethnic tensions and ecological degradation, is blamed for fuelling terrorist activity, exacerbated by the growth of transnational jihadist growth and geopolitical competition.
Five of the ten countries most affected by terrorism during the year are in the Sahel. These include Burkina Faso, the most affected country in the region, Mali and Niger.
Global security analyst Steve Killelea, who is also the founder and chairman of the IEP, cited the region's vast mineral resources as another key factor leading to increased terrorist activity in the Sahel.
Killelea told the Nation that the rivalry between the West and Russia has further complicated matters for the Sahel.
All three neighbouring countries have been under military rule for the past five years. The junta leaderships in these countries have severed ties with Western nations that had previously supported them against insurgents.
The three countries have since formed the Alliance of Sahelian States, a bloc designed to rival the West African bloc, Ecowas.
Killelea says this has created opportunities for groups such as JNIM to expand their activities in coastal West Africa, noting that both Ecowas and the West need to persuade these countries to come back into the fold.
“The region’s leaders need to engage these countries and bring them back into their fold,” he said.
Niger, the world's seventh largest uranium producer, has also attracted growing international interest as global powers seek to secure access to critical materials. Russia and China, in particular, have stepped up their presence in the region, offering security and economic support with fewer conditions than their Western counterparts, the report notes.
The revolution sparked by the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger has had a ripple effect, with several other countries previously friendly to France calling on it to withdraw its troops.
The report confirms a United Nations position from January, which warned that terrorism was at a "tipping point" on the continent and prompted calls from Security Council members for development-led solutions.
“Terrorism is the most significant threat to peace, security and sustainable development across the African continent today,” UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed was quoted as saying.
She also described the Sahel as “ground zero” for one of the world’s most brutal crises, noting that the number of terrorism-related deaths has risen to more than 6,000 over the past three years, accounting for more than half of all deaths worldwide.
Al-Qaeda and Da'esh affiliates had expanded to the west coast of West Africa, the UN said, with a 250 percent increase in violent attacks in two years.
The Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab as well as the Allied Democratic Forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama in Mozambique, were major players in the region.
In addition to terrorising communities, these groups commit sexual and gender-based violence, attack children and forcibly recruit them into their ranks, the UN said.
