The Sahel region in Africa has alarmingly become the epicentre of global terrorism, accounting for 51% of all terrorism-related deaths worldwide in 2024. This marks a significant increase from 48% in 2023, according to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), published by the Sydney-headquartered Institute for Economics and Peace. The report also highlights that the Sahel was the site of 19% of all worldwide terrorist attacks last year.
Burkina Faso remains the country most severely affected within the region. It recorded over 700 terrorism-related deaths, many of which were linked to groups like Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen.
Neighbouring Niger also suffered immensely, losing more than 400 lives to terrorist attacks last year. Insurgents there reportedly targeted a range of locations, including villages, military outposts, and public gatherings.
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In Nigeria, a single attack in Mafa village, Yobe state, tragically claimed the lives of an estimated 100 to 150 people and left many more wounded last year. The conflict between terrorist factions also continued, with an attack by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) against Boko Haram members occurring on April 24th last year in the northeast areas of Lake Chad in Borno state. These clashes reportedly resulted in the deaths of 70 Boko Haram members and 10 ISWAP members.
Mali too experienced a devastating incident when a brazen attack on a Gendarmerie school in the southern part of the capital, Bamako, left 60 soldiers dead last year. Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen claimed responsibility for this attack.
The grim trend shows no signs of abating, as the United Nations has stated that terrorist attacks have continued unabated into 2025, and the death toll continues to rise.
