The United Nations has warned of the worsening humanitarian toll of terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel, revealing that more than 1,300 children were recruited by armed groups in 2024, while over 14,000 schools were forced to close due to insecurity.
UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Simão, disclosed the figures on Wednesday at a regional conference on combating emerging terrorist groups, held in Abuja.
He described the figures as “stolen futures, fractured communities, and deepening fragility,” noting that extremist groups are increasingly exploiting ungoverned spaces, local grievances, and advanced technologies—including drones, encrypted communications, and cyber tools—to expand their operations.
According to the UN envoy, 1,364 children were recruited by armed groups across six countries in 2024, with 466 documented cases of sexual violence and 14,364 schools shut down. “The increase is not only in the number of attacks and victims but also in sophistication, as groups forge alliances and expand their reach,” he said.
Simão noted that five of the 10 countries most impacted by terrorism globally are in West Africa and the Sahel, warning that extremist violence has now spread into sensitive border areas such as the Tambacounda region—which straddles Mali, Senegal, Guinea, and Mauritania—as well as protected conservation zones like Park W, Arly, and Pendjari, spanning Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger. He stressed that these incursions threaten livelihoods, eco-tourism, and biodiversity.
The envoy added that political disputes between neighbouring states and the impacts of climate change are fuelling recruitment and deepening fragility. “Climate change continues to act as a threat multiplier—driving displacement, intensifying resource conflicts, and forcing entire communities into precarious livelihoods that terrorist groups exploit,” he said. The Central Sahel, he added, is projected to spend $3.2 billion on defence in 2025, diverting vital resources from education, healthcare, and climate adaptation.
Simão urged West African states to adopt a holistic response that combines military measures with investment in political dialogue, improved social services, and sustainable development, with particular attention to youth and women. He also called for stronger action against organised crime—including drug trafficking, illegal mining, and arms smuggling—that finances terrorism.
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, speaking at the same event, stressed the need for stronger regional cooperation, warning that fragmented national efforts cannot defeat a transnational threat. “Terrorism spreads whenever it finds weaknesses in our shared defences. Security in one country is inseparable from the security of its neighbours,” he said.
Badaru emphasised intelligence as the “primary force multiplier” in combating terrorism, calling for the institutionalisation of joint and multinational operations under clear command structures. He urged ECOWAS states to accelerate the operationalisation of the regional standby force and to harmonise legal frameworks to ensure extremist groups find no safe haven.
“Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence must be deployed for regional early-warning systems. Yet as we innovate, we must uphold human rights and safeguard civil liberties. Security must strengthen legitimacy, not weaken it,” the minister said.
