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North Africa and the Sahel

Stories under this heading cover North Africa and the Sahel. North Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. It stretches from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania to Egypt's Suez Canal and the Red Sea. The Sahel spans from the eastern shores of the African continent, starting from Sudan and continuing up to the Atlantic shores of Mauritania and Senegal.

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Report speaks of resurgence of Al Qaida and ISIS in Sahel and Syria
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Report speaks of resurgence of Al Qaida and ISIS in Sahel and Syria

1 August 2025
A new UN expert report to the Security Council released Wednesday (30 July) highlights the escalating threat posed by Islamic State (ISIS) and al‑Qaida affiliates across Africa, with risks also rising in Syria. The report claims that Africa has now become the centre of extremist activity as groups exploit weakened governance and regional instability. In Syria, the post‑Assad transition remains volatile. The report warns that both ISIS and al‑Qaida perceive Syria as a strategic base for international operations. Over 5,000 foreign fighters are believed to have participated in the December 2024 offensive in Damascus, raising fears of ideological spread and extremist infiltration across borders. The report also notes the dangers of online radicalisation. Groups such as ISIS continue to radicalise individuals and orchestrate attacks in Europe, America and beyond via secure messaging networks.

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Germany ponders its future role in the Sahel
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Germany ponders its future role in the Sahel

15 April 2022
Germany’s minister of foreign affairs Annalena Baerbock is visiting the Sahel ahead of a government decision on extending the Bundeswehr’s mission in the region. Amidst renewed political instability and terrorist activity in the Sahel, Baerbock must decide whether German troops will continue their commitment to MINUSMA - the UN peacekeeping mission in the region – and the EUTM, the European Union Training Mission. 300 German soldiers participate in the EUTM mission in Mali, while approximately 1000 soldiers are stationed there as part of MINUSMA. However, beyond the terrorist threat in the region, which has already caused 2.1 million internal displacements in the past 8 years according to the UN, it is the war in Ukraine which could have the most direct repercussions in West Africa. Ukraine, the world’s fifth-largest exporter of wheat, is currently incapable of delivering wheat flour to the Sahel region, causing food insecurity for millions of people.
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