Sahel Edition

Jihadist Expansion Threatens Coastal West Africa

Posted On 5 August 2025

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The Sahel is confronting an intensifying insurgency that continues to evolve in scale and complexity. Armed groups such as the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) are adapting and adjusting their strategies to cement their presence and expand beyond. These actors, once largely confined to remote rural areas, are now expanding their reach, applying growing pressure on urban centers, and crossing into new regions previously considered stable. Their operations are reshaping the political and security landscape, complicating efforts to govern and protect civilian populations, and drawing in new actors as the crisis spills across borders.

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