UN Chief Urges Sahel States to Unite Against Escalating Jihadist Violence

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Sahel countries on Tuesday to set aside political divisions and form a coordinated security platform to confront a sharp rise in attacks by jihadist and other armed groups. He stressed that cooperation among intelligence and security services across ECOWAS, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), Mauritania, Chad and Algeria is essential to effective counterterrorism action.

A widening crisis

Since 2019, jihadist activity in the Sahel has expanded dramatically: insurgents now operate across an area roughly twice the size of Spain, and an analysis of conflict-monitoring data attributes about 77,000 deaths to the surge in violence. Groups linked to Al-Qaeda — notably the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) — and affiliates of the Islamic State are striking across much of Mali and Burkina Faso and have extended operations from western Niger and Nigeria to the Senegal border. In Mali, JNIM has broadened its influence and imposed a fuel blockade that has further damaged the economy.

Calls for trust and cooperation

"I'm aware of the serious political differences that exist in the region," Guterres said in a video message to the UN Security Council. "But it is absolutely essential that, despite these differences, we build a platform of cooperation among intelligence and security services... to allow for coordinated action against terrorism."

Mali's UN ambassador Issa Konfourou, speaking for the AES, said members are open to regional cooperation and engagement with partners so long as state sovereignty is fully respected. Omar Alieu Touray, president of the ECOWAS Commission, warned that mutual trust is a prerequisite for sharing intelligence, conducting joint border patrols and mounting coordinated operations. He said the region currently suffers from mistrust and suspicion that undermines effective collaboration.

Humanitarian and funding pressures

The Sahel faces not only security challenges but also significant environmental and economic pressures. Six humanitarian appeals for the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin request $4.9 billion this year, but less than one-quarter of that amount has been raised so far — and funding is roughly half the level available at the same time last year. Guterres noted that Mali’s humanitarian response plan is funded at only 16 percent.

Regional leadership response

ECOWAS chair and Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio called for a joint UN–ECOWAS–African Union "compact for peace and resilience in the Sahel," emphasizing that coordinated political and financial support is needed alongside security cooperation.