Terrorism threat deepens across Sahel- IEP report

• Nigeria ranks among Top 4

By Grace Edet
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have emerged as Africa’s three most terrorised nations in 2024, underscoring the deepening insecurity in the Sahel region, according to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
The report, shared on Statisense official X handle, highlights how sustained militant activity continues to erode economic stability and investor confidence across the continent.
Burkina Faso led the ranking with a terrorism score of 8.58, followed by Mali (7.91) and Niger (7.78).
Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, ranked fourth with a score of 7.66, reflecting the persistent threat of insurgent attacks despite years of counter-terrorism operations in the country’s northern and central regions.
The report notes that Somalia (7.61), Cameroon (6.94), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (6.77) also remain high-risk zones for terrorism. Other countries on the list include Mozambique (6.25), Kenya (5.37), and Chad (5.03), rounding off the continent’s top 10.
According to the IEP, the Global Terrorism Index measures the impact of terrorism by combining data on the number of incidents, fatalities, injuries, and property damage. A higher score indicates greater exposure to terrorism and institutional instability.
Analysts say the concentration of high GTI scores in the Sahel corridor reflects the spillover of extremist violence linked to groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIS, which has disrupted trade routes, displaced millions, and strained regional economies dependent on agriculture and mining.
For Nigeria, the report reinforces concerns that security instability remains a drag on economic performance. Persistent attacks in the country’s northern belt have disrupted farming activities and transportation networks, contributing to inflationary pressures and food insecurity.
Security experts have repeatedly called for enhanced regional collaboration and stronger intelligence-sharing frameworks among West African nations to contain the threat, warning that prolonged instability could deter foreign investment in key sectors such as energy, logistics, and extractive industries.
The report concludes that rebuilding governance structures, addressing youth unemployment, and improving border surveillance remain critical to reversing the tide of extremism across the continent.