Terrorist groups are expanding their operations across West Africa and the Sahel, increasingly targeting coastal countries in the Gulf of Guinea while employing more sophisticated tactics, including drones and cryptocurrencies, a senior United Nations official warned on Tuesday.
Briefing the U.N. Security Council, Leonardo Santos Simão, the U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, said armed groups continue to pose a major security threat, particularly in the central Sahel and northern Nigeria, as violence spreads beyond traditional conflict zones.
“The threat posed by terrorist and other non-state armed groups remains acute, especially in the central Sahel and northern Nigeria, rapidly targeting coastal states in the Gulf of Guinea,” Simão said. “These groups are adapting their tactics, increasingly using advanced technology, such as drones, means of communication and cryptocurrencies.”
He warned that the growing convergence between terrorism and drug trafficking is compounding insecurity across the region, while humanitarian access remains severely constrained in many conflict-affected areas.
Simão said women, children and young people continue to suffer the greatest impact of the violence, with attacks on schools disrupting education and jeopardizing the future of entire communities.
Addressing the Security Council, member states called for stronger regional cooperation and dialogue to tackle the underlying drivers of instability, including poverty, weak governance and the effects of climate change.
Responding to the concerns, Burkina Faso’s ambassador to the United Nations said countries of the Alliance of Sahel States remained committed to restoring peace despite persistent security challenges.
“Burkina Faso and countries of the Alliance of Sahel States have faith in the future,” the ambassador said. “Together with our people, we will continue to demonstrate great resilience. The Confederation and the Alliance are open to all dialogue, and we welcome ongoing efforts, particularly initiatives undertaken by Togo, the African Union and the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel.”
The United Nations has repeatedly warned that insecurity in the Sahel has become one of the world’s fastest-growing security crises, with extremist violence increasingly spilling into coastal West African countries.
U.N. officials say lasting stability will require sustained international support, increased humanitarian assistance and stronger regional cooperation to address both immediate security threats and the root causes of conflict.
