Informal Interactive Dialogue on Enhancing Regional Counter-Terrorism Cooperation in West Africa and the Sahel
Tomorrow morning (15 July), Security Council members will hold an informal interactive dialogue (IID) on enhancing regional counter-terrorism cooperation in West Africa and the Sahel. Briefings are expected from the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Leonardo Santos Simão; Commissioner for Peace and Security at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Abdel-Fatau Musah; and Chief of the Africa Section at the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), Marc Porret. Additional briefers may participate at the meeting.
The meeting will begin at 10 am EST and take place in Conference Room 12. IIDs are closed informal meetings that allow for the participation of non-Council members and officials other than Secretariat personnel. There is no formal record of such meetings. Several regional countries may participate at tomorrow’s meeting.
Sierra Leone—which serves as co-penholder on UNOWAS together with Denmark— initiated tomorrow’s meeting. It has a strong interest in efforts to counter terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel and has previously highlighted the issue through organising a 19 June 2024 Arria-formula meeting titled “Combating the Rise of Terrorism and Violent Extremism in West Africa and the Sahel”. (For more information, see our 18 June 2024 What’s in Blue story.)
The West Africa and Sahel region has experienced protracted and expanding terrorist violence for more than a decade, which has undermined security and stability in the area. The region remains a hotspot for extremist groups, including Al-Qaida affiliates and factions linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh), which tend to exploit weak governance, intercommunal tensions, and economic hardships to expand their influence and destabilise local communities. Over the years, terrorist groups have become more aggressive, leveraging increasingly sophisticated weaponry, including drones. The growth of the terrorist threat has been particularly striking in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. These countries—which are led by military juntas that came to power through coups d’état—formally withdrew from ECOWAS on 29 January, concluding a year-long process following their announcement in 2024 of their intention to leave the sub-regional bloc.
According to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the Sahel accounted for 19 percent of all terrorist attacks worldwide and 51 percent of global terrorism-related deaths in 2024, up from 48 percent in 2023. Five of the ten countries most affected by terrorism are in the Sahel. Beyond the Sahel, terrorist activity is increasing in coastal West Africa. The increase in terrorist attacks in Benin and Togo has raised alarm about potential spillover into previously unaffected regions. Meanwhile, militant groups have expanded financial and logistical networks that now stretch towards the Gulf of Guinea and have facilitated transnational organised crime.
The security landscape in the region has undergone a significant transition. A key development has been the withdrawal of Western military assistance, creating a security vacuum that has prompted a shift towards alternative partnerships, most notably with Russia. Moscow has expanded its presence through bilateral defence agreements and the deployment of Africa Corps personnel, particularly in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Africa Corps forces have been deployed in Burkina Faso and Niger since January and April 2024, respectively. In June, Russia announced the Wagner Group’s mission in Mali but that the Africa Corps would continue operating in the country to support the military. (Africa Corps reportedly is a paramilitary group that serves as a successor to the Wagner Group and operates under the direct oversight of the Russian Ministry of Defence. While reflecting structural and operational changes, reports indicate most personnel are from the Wagner Group’s ranks.)
Meanwhile, the security situation continues to deteriorate rapidly across the region. In recent months, there has been a marked increase in attacks on military bases and raids targeting civilian centres in Central Sahelian countries, raising concerns about the stability of these countries. The intensification of violence underscores the limited effectiveness of current security arrangements and the growing capabilities of armed groups, including the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaida affiliate. According to some media outlets, since May, more than 400 soldiers have reportedly been killed by insurgents in military bases and towns in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
Efforts to address the growing threat of terrorism and violent extremism remain in flux. Existing regional mechanisms grapple with formidable challenges, including political instability, fragmented security coordination, and persistent funding deficits. In September 2023, the central Sahelian states of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali formed the Alliance of Sahel States, or l’Alliance des États du Sahel (AES), as an organisation of collective defence. While ECOWAS has repeatedly expressed its intention to operationalise the ECOWAS Standby Force in response to rising insecurity, progress remains limited due to the lack of dedicated financial resources. The Accra Initiative, established in 2017, is another security mechanism aimed at countering the growing threat to West African coastal states. Currently, the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF)—focused on combatting Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Lake Chad Basin—is the only regional mechanism which is operational. In March, Niger announced its withdrawal from the MNJTF, raising concerns about the weakening of the region’s counter-terrorism framework and the potential creation of a security vacuum that could be exploited by terrorist groups. (For background and more information, see the brief on UNOWAS in our April 2025 Monthly Forecast.)
The concept note that Sierra Leone has prepared for the meeting underscores the importance of enhancing ECOWAS’ role as the primary coordinating platform for counter-terrorism and stabilisation efforts in the region, within the frameworks of the African Union (AU) and the UN. It emphasises the need to ensure coherence and coordination among key stakeholders, including the AES states, the MNJTF, and the Accra Initiative. The note says that, despite the Council’s continued engagement on counter-terrorism in the region, a gap persists between political recognition and the provision of concrete support to regional security mechanisms.
According to the concept note, tomorrow’s meeting seeks to facilitate an interactive exchange between Council members and regional security actors aimed at strengthening regional counter-terrorism responses in West Africa and the Sahel. A key objective is to draw on lessons learned and best practices from regional security mechanisms, including the MNJTF, the Accra Initiative, the ECOWAS Standby Force, and the AES’ security framework, to foster operational coherence, build trust among stakeholders, and advance region-led prevention and response efforts.
The note outlines additional areas of focus, such as exploring strategies to prevent the spread of terrorism and violent extremism to coastal West African states through enhanced cross-border coordination, intelligence-sharing, and joint planning. Participants are also expected to identify opportunities for the Council to support coordinated, effective, and well-resourced regional counter-terrorism efforts. The discussion may include consideration of how to build on the ECOWAS Regional Counter-Terrorism Strategy and Action Plan as a foundation for current and future joint planning efforts across the continent. In addition, the meeting may highlight the importance of leveraging ECOWAS’ established tools for conflict prevention, mitigation, and mediation as key components in addressing and preventing terrorist recruitment.
The concept note poses several questions to help guide the discussion, including:
- How can the Council encourage and support deeper cooperation among regional frameworks, including between ECOWAS and AES states?
- How can international partners ensure that support to regional initiatives is well-coordinated, sustainable, and aligned with regional priorities?
- How can UNOWAS assist in developing and coordinating a revitalised regional counter-terrorism strategy in conjunction with ECOWAS and other relevant stakeholders?
The concept note highlights the importance of resource mobilisation and international partnerships, noting that resolution 2719 of 21 December 2023 provides a basis for UN assessed contributions to AU-led peace support operations. Tomorrow’s IID is expected to examine how the Council can help operationalise the resolution to support West African counter-terrorism efforts with predictable financing and logistical support. It will also consider expanding capacity-building partnerships, including through regional training centres, and stress the need to integrate military responses with governance, development, and human rights approaches to address the root causes of terrorism.
