UN warns of expanding terrorist threat across West Africa and the Sahel

Leonardo Santos Simão, the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel’s special representative, told the Security Council that the threat from terrorist and other non‑state armed groups remains acute in the central Sahel and northern Nigeria and is now rapidly moving toward coastal states of the Gulf of Guinea. He noted that groups are adopting new tactics such as drones, sophisticated communications and cryptocurrencies to coordinate attacks that have already caused civilian and military casualties in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.

The United Nations highlighted a deepening link between terrorism and drug trafficking, which is fuelling the conflict and undermining governance. Humanitarian access is shrinking as displacement soars – about 6.8 million internally displaced persons and 1.3 million refugees, with roughly 220 000 hosted by Gulf of Guinea states. Regional authorities are strengthening maritime and land task forces, including the Combined Maritime Task Force launched in June 2026, but experts stress that security measures must be paired with long‑term investments in governance and development.