Africa's Sahel region has become the epicenter of global terrorism, with more than half of all terrorism-related deaths worldwide occurring there for the first time, according to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index.
The report, published in March by the Institute for Economics and Peace, revealed that 51% of global terrorism-related deaths (3,885 out of 7,555) in 2024 occurred in the Sahel region.
Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania are the core Sahel countries, with parts of Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon and Guinea included in the regional designation.
Seventeen of the world's 20 deadliest terrorist attacks in 2024 took place in the region, with Burkina Faso enduring the heaviest toll, with nine of them.
The attacks claimed over 1,600 lives, with Burkina Faso recording 796 deaths, Niger 422, and Nigeria 185, according to the report.
Al-Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has been identified as one of the primary perpetrators.
JNIM is a coalition among Ansar al-Din, the Macina Liberation Front, al-Mourabitoun and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), all of which also operate individually.
"ISIS and al-Qaeda, with the support of terrorist groups like Boko Haram and al-Shabaab, are responsible for the deaths of thousands in Africa," Kabul-based military analyst Shams-u-Rahman Wardak told Salaam Times.
"The presence and activities of al-Qaeda in Africa have weakened regional governments, collapsed economies and caused the displacement of millions."
Serious threat to the Sahel
The movement of terrorist operatives to Africa has increased in recent years.
Analysts describe this migration as a strategic shift aimed at survival, as these groups come under sustained military pressure in the Middle East, from national forces and the US-led international coalition.
"Al-Qaeda is not only a serious threat to Sahel countries, but also endangers the security of Europe, the Middle East and even the United States," said Safiullah Najm, a military analyst based in Balkh province.
"The group maintains close ties with other terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram in Nigeria, al-Shabaab in Somalia, and al-Qaeda branches in Yemen and Afghanistan," he told Salaam Times.
The terrorist network has exploited political instability, weak governance and economic crises to expand across the region, Najm said, relying on tactics such as kidnapping-for-ransom, theft and drug trafficking to finance its operations.
"Al-Qaeda feels secure in the Sahel and has used the prevailing conditions there to strengthen its position," he said. "It has become a global threat from Africa, and if not suppressed, it could launch attacks anywhere in the world."
