July 2025

Counter-insurgency strategies in the Sahel: Efficacy, challenges and lessons for peacebuilding

Central Sahelian states of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have adopted multifaceted counter-insurgency (COIN) strategies, ranging from military offensives to community engagement, to combat violent extremism. Transitional governments have prioritized military restructuring. In Mali, this led to the recapture of the strategic northern town of Kidal from an alliance of predominantly Tuareg armed groups known as the Cadre...

Author(s): Emile Sunjo and Nyadi Francios Ndzi