Economic warfare escalates as militants expand beyond the Sahel
Previously distinct conflicts in the Sahel and coastal West Africa are merging into a single, interconnected one that will likely become a key arena of militant competition.
Mali
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Africa Overview: December 2025
ISCAP’s collaboration with allies deepened in the DRC, Ethiopia launched its first airstrike against the Tigray Defence Forces since the Pretoria agreement, and violence surged in the Tombouctou region of Mali.
Africa Overview: November 2025
The RSF attacked civilians in Sudan after taking over El Fasher and Bara, unrest erupted in Cameroon over President Biya’s re-election, and al-Shabaab struck a prison in the Somali capital.
From hunters to militias: The militarization of Dozos in Mali
The first in a series on militarized self-defense and vigilantism, this report examines the structure, operations, evolution, and impact of Dozo self-defense groups in central Mali.
De chasseurs à miliciens : la militarisation des Dozos au Mali
Premier volet d’une série consacrée aux formes militarisées d’autodéfense et de justice populaire, ce rapport analyse la structure, les opérations, l’évolution et l’impact des groupes d’autodéfense dozos dans le centre du Mali.
Africa Overview: October 2025
Insurgent violence rose in Nigeria’s Borno state, the US’ first recorded drone strike in the Sanaag region of Somalia killed an elder, and in Sudan the RSF made gains in El Fasher.
Militarized self-defense and vigilantism: Strategies, evolution, and impact on insecurity
ACLED’s four-part series on militarized self-defense and vigilantism examines self-protection through violence: how militarized self-defense groups organize and operate, their impact on the behavior of other violent actors, and how their roles change over time.
Africa Overview: September 2025
JNIM overran the Farabougou army base in Mali after a five-year siege, Boko Haram escalated attacks on the Cameroon-Nigeria border, and targeted violence in Darfur drove an increase in civilian deaths in August.
Q&A | The Islamic State’s pivot to Africa
In this Q&A, ACLED’s experts discuss how Islamic State affiliates operate in Somalia, the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin, the Great Lakes region, and northern Mozambique, and how authorities are responding to this growing threat.
Q&A: What does the Wagner Group’s exit from Mali mean for Russian activity in Africa?
In this Q&A, ACLED Senior Analyst for West Africa Héni Nsaibia breaks down how the mercenary group has affected violence and politics in Mali.