The Sahel region was the world’s deadliest terrorism hotspot in 2024, accounting for 51% of all terrorism-related deaths globally, according to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) released by the Institute for Economics and Peace in Sydney. The figure marks a disturbing rise from 48% in 2023, highlighting the escalating violence across West Africa’s fragile border zones.
The report also notes that the region was responsible for 19% of all terrorist incidents worldwide last year, with countries like Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, and Mali bearing the brunt of the bloodshed.
Burkina Faso: Epicenter of Regional Violence
Burkina Faso remains the most affected country in the Sahel, with over 700 people killed in 2024 due to attacks carried out by jihadist groups such as Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen (JNIM). The group, an Al-Qaeda affiliate, has expanded its operations across central and eastern provinces, targeting both military and civilian infrastructure.
Attacks on schools, health posts, and displaced persons camps have displaced nearly 2 million people, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Niger: Deadly Cross-Border Raids
In Niger, the death toll from terrorist incidents exceeded 400 in 2024, with insurgents launching cross-border raids from Mali and Burkina Faso. Military outposts and rural villages in the Tillabéri and Tahoua regions were particularly targeted. One of the deadliest attacks occurred in September, when armed men stormed the village of Tegui, killing dozens and setting homes ablaze.
Nigeria: Resurgence in the Northeast
Nigeria’s northeast continued to see high-intensity violence, primarily between rival jihadist factions. In Mafa village in Yobe State, an attack reportedly killed between 100 and 150 civilians last year. Additionally, inter-jihadist conflict led to high casualties: an April 24, 2024, clash between Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram around Lake Chad in Borno State resulted in the deaths of 70 Boko Haram fighters and 10 ISWAP militants, according to local intelligence sources.
Mali: Attacks in the Capital
In Mali, terrorism is no longer confined to the north and central regions. In a particularly bold attack, gunmen stormed a Gendarmerie training school in Bamako’s southern suburbs, killing 60 soldiers in one of the deadliest incidents ever recorded in the capital. The attack was claimed by JNIM, signaling a worrying expansion of insurgent reach.
Ongoing Violence in 2025
The UN has warned that the trend has continued into 2025, with violence spreading further into coastal West African states. “We are witnessing a systematic expansion of terror networks southward,” a recent UN Security Council report noted, calling for more robust and unified regional counter-terrorism strategies. Analysts say political instability, weak governance, and the withdrawal of international peacekeeping forces—especially in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—have emboldened extremist groups and allowed them to flourish.
With the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) distancing themselves from ECOWAS and Western security partners, experts fear a further deterioration unless coordinated regional and international action is urgently undertaken.
