Beyond solidarity: Sahel security needs regional strategy and support
The Sahel region faces an escalating security crisis as insurgent groups like JNIM and the FLA coordinate complex attacks across Mali. Experts argue that a unified regional strategy is necessary to counter these threats to state authority.
Why it matters
The destabilization of the Sahel has significant implications for regional security, migration, and international counter-terrorism efforts in West Africa.
Recent attacks in central Sahel are evidence of the growing terror threat in West Africa. This demands more from the region's states and partners than declarations of solidarity with those affected. Security cooperation is urgently needed with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger - the three countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
On 25 April, the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) launched coordinated attacks on several cities in northern, central and southern Mali. This was the most ambitious operation by the armed groups since the outbreak of the Malian security crisis in 2012. Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed and insurgents seized the northern towns of Kidal and Tessalit.
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