Why Africa Fails to Defeat Terrorist Groups
Jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS continue to expand their operations and develop fighting and financing methods. According to the African Strategic Studies Center, 23,872 people were killed in violence linked to armed Islamist groups in the twelve months to mid-2026, the fourth consecutive year deaths exceeded 20,000. The Sahel accounted for 42 percent of deaths.
Why it matters: The continued expansion of jihadist groups despite more than a decade of military operations highlights the briefing's counterterrorism theme: military-centric approaches have not contained the threat in Africa.