UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel: Briefing and Consultations
Tomorrow morning (14 July), the Security Council is expected to hold an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on West Africa and the Sahel. Special Representative and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) Leonardo Santos Simão is expected to brief on the Secretary-General’s latest report (S/2026/537), which was circulated to Council members on 30 June and covers developments from 29 November 2025 to 30 June. Denmark and Liberia (the co-penholders on UNOWAS) may propose press elements following the closed consultations.
Recent months have witnessed significant political and security developments in West Africa and the Sahel. The Secretary-General’s report describes the regional security landscape as being characterised by interstate tensions, terrorist and insurgent attacks, and transnational organised crime. Terrorist groups and other non-state armed actors have continued to exploit governance gaps, socio-economic vulnerabilities, and porous borders to intensify increasingly sophisticated attacks across the central Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, seeking to consolidate territorial and economic control while undermining public confidence in state institutions.
On 25 April, fighters from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, and Tuareg separatists belonging to the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) launched coordinated attacks across several locations in Mali, including Bamako, Kati, Kidal, Gao, Mopti, and Sévaré. Simultaneously, JNIM reportedly carried out a series of attacks in southern Mali that killed several senior military officials, including Defence Minister General Sadio Camara. In the weeks that followed, JNIM expanded its operations across central and northern Mali, carrying out attacks against military installations; imposing blockades on key transport routes, including those leading to Bamako; and increasing pressure on government-controlled areas. (For background and more information, see the brief on UNOWAS in our July 2026 Monthly Forecast.)
The security situation remains particularly volatile in northern Mali, where armed groups continue to contest state authority, while government control remains limited in several parts of the country. On 4 July, the FLA and JNIM launched coordinated attacks against military positions in Gao, Aguelhok, Anéfis, Kenieroba, and Sévaré. The FLA subsequently claimed that it had taken control of Anéfis, a strategic village linking Gao and Kidal, while Malian forces and Russian Africa Corps personnel retained control of a military camp in the locality. Over the following week, the FLA claimed responsibility for attacking two military convoys that were attempting to reinforce the town. After several days of intense fighting, the Malian armed forces announced on 10 July that they had retaken control of Anéfis, with both sides reportedly sustaining losses.
The Secretary-General’s report highlights persistent insecurity across several other regional countries. Burkina Faso continued to experience recurrent attacks by JNIM and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), including drone-enabled operations. In Niger, JNIM attacked Niamey’s international airport on 18 June, killing 11 members of the armed forces and two civilians. A similar assault on the airport in January was claimed by the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP). In Nigeria, insecurity persisted in the North and Middle Belt regions, where terrorist attacks, kidnappings, and intercommunal violence continued to result in high levels of civilian casualties. Between 1 January and 10 February alone, 1,258 civilians were killed, including 170 in a 3 February attack in Kwara State by a Boko Haram splinter group.
The reporting period also saw increasing outreach between regional states and other international interlocutors. For instance, on 8 July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with his counterparts from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger in Niamey. The three countries, which established the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in 2023 and formally withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in January 2025, reaffirmed their security partnership with Russia. A joint statement released after the meeting said that Russia would continue supporting efforts to strengthen the operational capacities of the AES countries’ armed forces.
Meanwhile, Algeria and Mali agreed to restore diplomatic ties in mid-July. Both countries reinstated their ambassadors in Algiers and Bamako, and Algeria also reopened its airspace to civilian and military aircraft travelling to and from Mali. Relations had deteriorated sharply in April 2025 after Algeria said that it had shot down a Malian surveillance drone that had violated its airspace, a claim disputed by Bamako. The fallout prompted Burkina Faso and Niger to recall their ambassadors from Algiers in solidarity with Bamako, while Mali withdrew from the Algeria-led Joint Operational Staff Committee (CEMOC), a regional counterterrorism alliance.
At the same time, the US has continued efforts to expand engagement with the region. US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia is visiting Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali between 11 and 18 July in his first official trip to Africa after assuming office on 1 June. The visit reflects Washington’s efforts to deepen economic and security partnerships in the sub-region, including through greater engagement on critical minerals and counterterrorism. In the past months, the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), in coordination with the Nigerian armed forces, has conducted multiple operations in northeastern Nigeria that reportedly killed several leaders of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
On 12 July, the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, began a two-day visit to Bamako aimed at strengthening engagement between the AU and Mali. During the visit, he met with several senior Malian officials, including the head of the military government, General Assimi Goïta.
According to the Secretary-General’s report, the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff met between 25 and 27 February to advance the ECOWAS Counter-Terrorism Force, calling for greater engagement with the AES and the operationalisation of the Regional Counter-Terrorism Brigade. ECOWAS also approved $2.85 million to support coastal states in addressing security challenges.
On 25 March, ECOWAS appointed former Prime Minister of Guinea Lansana Kouyaté as Chief Negotiator with the AES states. In May, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah reportedly presented the proposed “Compact for the Future of Regional Integration”, a six-pillar strategy aimed at reshaping the bloc’s political, economic, and security agenda. Ahead of the Summit on the Future of Regional Integration, ECOWAS concluded seven regional consultations to inform the initiative. These discussions are expected to feed into ECOWAS’ 69th Authority of Heads of State and Government meeting, scheduled for 19 July in Freetown, Sierra Leone, at the conclusion of the bloc’s mid-year meetings.
Tomorrow, Simão might elaborate on his engagement with stakeholders across West Africa and the Sahel aimed at advancing political dialogue and strengthening regional cooperation. On 25 March, he met with the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, to review political and security developments in the region and discuss ways to further strengthen cooperation between UNOWAS and ECOWAS. On 8 April, he concluded a four-day visit to Niamey, where he held discussions with senior Nigerien officials, including Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine, and met with humanitarian actors, members of the UN Country Team, and representatives of the diplomatic corps. On 18 April, he concluded a visit to Togo, where he met with President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, among other senior officials. Their discussions focused on regional peace and security priorities and strengthening cooperation between Togo and the UN.
Some Council members may use tomorrow’s briefing to reiterate the need to pay closer attention to West Africa and the Sahel, expressing concern about the continued deterioration of the security situation across the region. Some members may stress the importance of strengthening regional cooperation to address cross-border threats posed by terrorism and transnational organised crime. Several Council members are also likely to underscore the important role of UNOWAS in advancing preventive diplomacy and fostering regional dialogue.
Some Council members may also raise concerns regarding the region’s humanitarian challenges. According to the Secretary-General’s report, humanitarian conditions across the region remain dire, driven by persistent insecurity, displacement, food insecurity, and climate-related vulnerabilities. In areas affected by violence, women, children, and youth have continued to experience grave violations and abuses of their rights, including sexual and gender-based violence. During the reporting period, humanitarian access was also severely constrained, particularly in the Sahel, due to ongoing insecurity, growing administrative restrictions, and the closure of some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Burkina Faso and Niger. Meanwhile, funding shortfalls have further reduced the humanitarian response, leaving millions without adequate assistance.
