'New rules': life in world epicentre of jihadist terror

Africa's Sahel region is firmly entrenched as the global epicentre of jihadist terror, with militant groups like the Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM and Islamic State Sahel Province not only holding vast swathes of rural territory but also brazenly escalating attacks on major urban centres and vital infrastructure. Recent weeks have seen the JNIM claim responsibility for a deadly attack on Niger Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey in June 2026, following a similar high-profile assault by ISSP earlier this year, signaling a dangerous new phase where no area is truly safe from their reach. The crisis is spiraling, exacerbated by a vacuum left by withdrawing Western forces and the rise of military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, who have replaced democratic governments and turned to Russia's Africa Corps for security. This shift hasn't stemmed the violence; instead, it's fueled a humanitarian catastrophe with millions displaced and facing severe food insecurity, while jihadists impose their harsh 'new rules,' including strict Sharia law and crippling economic blockades on towns like Mali Nioro du Sahel. The violence is now aggressively spilling into once-stable coastal West African states, including Benin and Togo, threatening broader regional destabilization. Looking ahead, the response remains fragmented. The newly formed Alliance of Sahel States (AES) aims for self-reliance but faces immense operational challenges in countering the entrenched and expanding extremist networks. Meanwhile, ECOWAS is attempting to establish its own counter-terrorism brigade by late 2026, though its efforts are complicated by the AES members' withdrawal from the bloc. As jihadist groups continue to innovate with drone technology and exploit illicit economies, the region is bracing for an even more volatile future, testing the resolve of both local and international actors to halt this deadly spread.