US Threatened by New 'Epicenter of Global Terrorism' 25 Years After 9/11
Affiliates of Al-Qaeda and ISIS are "becoming more entrenched and further expanding within the Sahel and beyond," an expert warns.
As the United States recalls the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS) are expanding their influence in the often-overlooked Sahel region of Africa. Over the past decade, more than 59,700 people have been killed by Islamist militant groups in the region, according to a recent Africa Center for Strategic Studies report.
The Institute for Economics & Peace's Global Terrorism Index found that the Sahel accounted for more than half of all terrorism-related deaths worldwide in 2022. U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) now considers Africa to be the epicenter of global terrorism, with Al-Qaeda and ISIS-affiliated groups in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin threatening to strike the U.S. homeland and their interests.
Analysts warn that these groups are capitalizing on local grievances, battlefield successes, and other factors to expand their reach and consolidate their deadly presence across several countries. One particularly concerning group is Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate that has intensified its campaigns in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, threatening to destabilize the broader region and beyond.
JNIM's ruthlessness and battlefield prowess, particularly in the use of siege and economic blockade tactics, have earned it a reputation as unmatched in the Sahel. Al-Qaeda, which was founded in the 1980s by Osama bin Laden and established early networks in Sudan, has long been an international threat. In the Sahel, JNIM operates in concert with other Islamist factions, including Ansarul Islam, Katiba Macina, and Katiba Hanifa.
While not currently translating to major attacks, these support networks can be rapidly mobilized for attacks when the group or its local fighters deem it necessary. Another global jihadi group, ISIS, has also made violent inroads in the Sahel. The Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), formerly known as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, has emerged as a significant actor, with the potential to support transnational operations and external attacks.
Recent high-profile ISIS-claimed attacks in Europe, such as the Berlin Christmas market truck ramming and the Manchester Arena bombing, can be traced back to African networks.
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