Sahel: Are mercenaries efficient fighting terrorism ?

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Limam NADAWA, Centre des stratégies pour la sécurité du Sahel Sahara, Centre4s.org 

Faced with the immense challenges of combating terrorist threats in the Sahel, states and their allies are hiring mercenaries. Supposedly more seasoned and experienced, they are meant to support national armies and their auxiliaries. However, in practice, their results are more nuanced, while their respective costs are taking their toll on the budgets of the recruiting countries. Their impact on the defense and security forces (FDS) is also a subject of controversy. Will this practice lead to a clear-eyed and rational re-evaluation after the attacks that Mali suffered on May 28, 2026? 

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Sahel: Gulf of Benin countries in terrorist crosshairs

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Ahmedou Ould Abdallah  President Centre4s

Announced long ago, including by centre4s, terrorists continued path southwards to Gulf of Benin is confirmed each day. Rather than facing that threat, a number of governments prefer to continue accusing foreign countries, adoring the idea of plot so important to powerless governments though useless on the ground.

 

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Sahel: sprawling cigarettes muggling

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Paul Amara, Consultant, Centre des stratégies pour la sécurité du Sahel Sahara, Centre4s.org

Cigarette smuggling generates billions of dollars annually worldwide, including in the Sahel. This complex trade originates in the Balkans and the United Arab Emirates, passes through North Africa, and ends in Libya, from where it streams into the Sahel. Libya is therefore considered the hub of cigarette smuggling in the Sahel. Widespread corruption, porous borders, and a lack of cooperation between countries fuel the growth of cigarette smuggling. The identifiable actors involved are also numerous. These include major countries, major brands, criminals, government officials, and terrorists who operate throughout the Sahel. The scale of the problem makes combating it a monumental task.

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International relations in turmoil

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Ahmedou Ould Abdallah Président centre de Stratégie Sécurité Sahel Sahara (centre4s)

An enormous danger and already a human and economic reality for over three weeks! The war launched against Iran is further exacerbating the turmoil and anxieties in a world already reeling and powerless in the face of the conflict unfolding in Ukraine and the open massacres in Gaza. Not to mention the civil wars in Africa, particularly those devastating Sudan and the Sahel as well as the war waged by the Afghan Talibans both at home and against Pakistan.

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Sahel: the quest for military satellite surveillance

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Paul AMARA, Consultant, Center for Strategies for Security in the Sahel and Sahara, Centre4s.org

Following the disruption of their relations with the French and American militaries, Sahel countries have forged new partnerships to obtain satellite imagery. These tools—precious in the fight against terrorism and trafficking in drugs, weapons, gold, migrants, human beings, cigarettes, and fuel—are proliferating. As early as November 2023, Mali signed a memorandum of understanding with the Russian company Glavkomos, specialized in space activities. This agreement allowed it to improve internet, telecommunications, television, and territorial surveillance coverage. Other countries followed suit, displaying increasingly ambitious space goals. Thus, they are considering launching military observation satellites, either jointly or individually.

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