Sahel Region in January 2026: the most important developments in security
The Sahel in January 2026 was marked by an attack on the airport of Niger's capital, Niamey. Gunfire and explosions were heard near the airport on 29 January. Islamic State claimed a deadly attack on the airport, and Niger's junta leader accused France and neighbouring countries of a siege of the airport.
Elsewhere in Niger, a suspected jihadist attack killed 31 civilians, and separately terrorists killed four people and set shops ablaze. Police in Niger deployed experts to evacuate an explosive and recovered suspected military unexploded ordnance.
In Burkina Faso, the junta and the security minister said a plot to assassinate Captain Ibrahim Traore had been foiled. Later in the month, former president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, accused of involvement in a murder plot, was expelled from Togo. Regionally, the commander of the multinational force against Boko Haram pledged to end the insurgency in Nigeria's Borno State, and Sudan's Rapid Support Forces entered Chad and expressed regret over an accidental clash.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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