Numerous extremists groups are active across the Sahara-Sahel area and in the Lake Chad region. Most are extremely mobile and operate easily across national territories because of the porous nature of national borders in the region. Their actions are being increasingly constrained by military responses launched by national governments in alliance with international partners. Read on

In April, four journalists published a photo essay in The Guardian about the consequences of the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad basin. They visited refugee camps in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. Their photographs tell the stories of fractured families and untold suffering. Read on

On 2 March, Ouagadougou once again experienced two deadly attacks. A vehicule packed with explosives was placed in front of the army’s headquarters and a group of jihadists attacked the area around the French Embassy. According to the Burkinabe Ministry of Security’s official report, eight Burkinabe soldiers were killed in the attacks and about 80 people, including some civilians, were injured. Read on

On 16 February 2014, the heads of state of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger met in Nouakchott to create the G5 Sahel, a regional body designed to co-ordinate strategies and policies on defence, security, governance, infrastructure and resilience in the Sahel. The G5 Sahel officially launched its joint force at an extraordinary summit on 2 July 2017. There is still a significant budget shortfall to make the force fully operational. Mobilising the necessary troops that will make up the joint force battalions is yet another challenge. Read on