The Sahel

Last updated: 24 September 2024

An aerial photo shows the town of Konna in central Mali on 20 March 2021. Malian Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and his delegation visited the town to attend the inauguration of the new river port which was destroyed by bombing during the war in 2013. Photo by MICHELE CATTANI/AFP via Getty Images

What began as an outbreak of violence in Mali in 2012 turned into a regional conflict that has spanned more than a decade. The central Sahelian states of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are at the center of a regional jihadist insurgency that has resulted in insecurity and instability in the region driven by a diverse range of armed groups. Successive military interventions, including initiatives such as the French Operation Serval, which evolved into the counter-terrorism mission Operation Barkhane, as well as the United Nations peacekeeping mission MINUSMA and the G5 Sahel Force, have failed to achieve lasting stability. The central Sahelian countries consistently rank high on ACLED’s Conflict Index due to high levels of violence across the region.

Key Figures

In Focus: Armed Groups

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ACLED Specialists

Infographic - Mid-year metrics 2024 - Sahel

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Armed Groups in the Sahel

The transnational conflict in the Sahel has been driven by an array of armed actors cooperating, competing, and operating independently of one another. Groups including Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), al-Qaeda’s branch in the Sahel, and the Islamic State Sahel Province (IS Sahel) are also prominent in the regional jihadist insurgency. While violence involving insurgent groups and militants are a driving factor for regional insecurity, the situation is further complicated by the proliferation of armed groups, including various communal, ethnic, and self-defense militias like the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP); state forces; and other actors like mercenaries from the Wagner Group.

GettyImages-1236409320 — A detachment of anti-jihadist Special Forces of Operation Almahaou patrol the Tillaberi region of western Niger on 6 November 2021. The region has been targeted by suspected jihadists since the beginning of 2021. Photo by BOUREIMA HAMA/AFP via Getty Images

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Analysis & Reports

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