How a regional power vacuum and drug trafficking fueled a decade of Sahelian conflict.
Since 2012, the Sahel has been engulfed in a multi-sided war spanning Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. What began as a Tuareg separatist rebellion morphed into a complex jihadist insurgency, fueled by porous borders, the collapse of the Libyan state, and the rise of a regional coup belt.
The roots of the current crisis trace back to the early 2000s, when militants from the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) established logistical networks in the Sahara. By 2007, this group evolved into al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Simultaneously, northern Mali became a transit hub for drug trafficking, with cocaine and hashish routes providing financial resources for both Tuareg smugglers and jihadist groups like Ansar Dine and MUJAO.
The conflict escalated dramatically in 2012 following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya. Returning Tuareg soldiers, who had served in Gaddafi's Islamic Legion, brought weapons and combat experience back to a neglected northern Mali. These fighters joined the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) to seek independence. However, the movement was quickly co-opted by Iyad Ag Ghaly’s Ansar Dine, which sought to impose strict Sharia law across the region.
The subsequent French-led Operation Serval in 2013 successfully dismantled the jihadists' permanent territorial control, but the insurgency proved resilient. Militants exploited ethnic grievances, particularly among the marginalized Fulani population, and utilized the region's porous borders to regroup in Burkina Faso and Niger. By 2019, widespread frustration with government ineffectiveness triggered a series of military coups across the region, forming a so-called Coup Belt.
Today, the conflict has expanded far beyond its origins, with violence spreading into coastal West African nations like Benin and Togo. In response, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso formed the Alliance of Sahel States in 2024. By January 2025, these nations committed to establishing a joint force of 5,000 soldiers to combat the persistent jihadist threat, marking a new chapter in the region's long struggle for stability.
Source: War in the Sahel
