Terrorists eyeing Nigeria, W’African coastline – US

Langley

The Commander of United States Africa Command, Gen Michael Langley, has raised the alarm over growing efforts by extremist groups and terrorists in the Sahel to gain access to West Africa’s coastline.

Describing recent attacks in Nigeria, the wider Sahel, and the Lake Chad Basin as deeply troubling, Langley warned that terrorist access to the coast would significantly boost their capacity for smuggling and arms trafficking.

The Sahel countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger is widely regarded as the epicentre of terrorist activity, with insurgent networks linked to ISIS and Al-Qaeda particularly entrenched in Burkina Faso.

According to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the Sahel accounted for 19 per cent of all terrorist attacks worldwide and 51 per cent of global terrorism-related deaths in 2024, up from 48 per cent in 2023. Punch