Little-known region now 'epicentre of terrorism' and poses threat to the West

A little-known region of the world is becoming the "the epicentre of " as several groups are "thriving" in the area, a top army general has warned.

Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley warned that the Sahel region of western , which includes , Burkina Faso and Niger, was becoming a hub for danger in the region but militant groups there could also pose a threat to the West, he told the African Chiefs of Defense Conference in . Langley, who heads US Africa Command, said the three nations were "in crisis" as these groups continue to grow and work with larger terror organisations in other continents. He also warned that one of these countries was particularly in trouble.

Some groups in the area are aligned with well known militant organisations, such as ISIS-Sahel and al Qaeda-adjacent Jama’at Nusrat ul Islam wa al Muslimin (JNIM).

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The general said: "The terrorist networks affiliated with and al-Qaida are thriving, particularly in Burkina Faso, where the government has lost control of wide swaths of territory across their sovereign nation. Attacks are resurging in the Lake Chad region as well, and extremist groups are growing more aggressive."

Langley also said these militants had set their sights on expanding westward to Africa's coast, warning that it could give them easier access to the US. He said this could risk the groups becoming stronger as it would open up more routes to make money.

The general added: "If they secure access to the coastline, they can finance their operations through smuggling, human trafficking, and arms trading. This puts not just African nations at risk, but also increases the chance of threats reaching the US shores."

Langley pointed out that the US was particularly concerned about the JNIM militant group, which has grown "fourfold" since 2022, saying it "could have the capacity to attack the homeland".

The general added that the US had withdrawn it's troops from Niger in 2024 and claimed his country had not been able to closely follow terror activity there. The US had used Niger as its main base to monitor Jihadist groups in the area, but two countries reached a "disengagement" agreement in May 2024.

The military junta, which seized control of the nation in 2023, had already kicked out French troops, and has appeared to build ties with .

He said: "Unfortunately, with our withdrawal from the region, we have lost our ability to monitor these terrorist groups closely but continue to liaison with partners to provide what support we can."

Langley even said that attacks by extremist and terror groups in the area have increased since the US has withdrawn from the area. He warned: "The scale and brutality of some of these incidents are really troubling."