Overview

• Extremist groups carried out over 400 attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from April through July, causing nearly 2,900 deaths and deploying drones in cross-border offensives.
• Islamic State–backed fighters killed more than 100 villagers in Niger’s Tillaberi and Dosso regions in June, marking a return to mass atrocities in rural areas.
• Abductions of women and girls in Burkina Faso have more than doubled over 18 months and widespread school closures have pushed over one million girls out of classrooms.
• Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formed a joint defense force this summer to confront the rising insurgent threat across their shared borders.
• Joint UN–World Bank programs have boosted girls’ return to school by 23% and doubled women’s participation in local governance, yet only 8% of this year’s humanitarian appeal has been funded.