ACLED in the News
Crossroads of conflict | The Washington Post
Source: The Washington Post | 19 February 2025
“Across the breadth of Africa, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, stretches a belt of turmoil. Nowhere else have Islamist extremists recorded such stunning gains since the defeat of the Islamic State in the Middle East, with this swath emerging as the new epicenter of jihadist activity. Over the past year, Washington Post journalists have repeatedly visited the countries at the heart of the region — isolated, highly restrictive and often forbidding places — and spent extensive time with individuals writing this history.
Religious extremists, military officers and Russian mercenaries have all trained their ambitions on this broad belt of Africa — wedged between the Sahara to the north and the woodland savannas to the south — known as the Sahel. At the vortex of these forces are the countries of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.”
