The United Kingdom has raised the alarm over the continued spread and strengthening of Islamic State and Al-Qaeda affiliates across West Africa and the Sahel, warning that the situation is fast spiralling into a major regional security crisis.
James Kariuki, the UK Chargé d’Affaires to the United Nations, issued the warning on Tuesday during a UN Security Council briefing on West Africa, where he described the security landscape as “deeply troubling” and deteriorating by the day.
Kariuki told the Council that terror groups linked to ISIS and Al-Qaeda were escalating attacks on civilians and “adopting new, more sophisticated tactics to cripple governments and destabilise countries.”
He cited the recent fuel blockade in Mali by the Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM as evidence of how extremist groups are now leveraging economic disruption as a weapon of war.
According to him, coordinated political and security cooperation across the region is now critical to preventing further collapse.
The UK envoy commended the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) for facilitating dialogue among countries in the region, noting the rising engagement between ECOWAS states and members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). He urged both blocs to deepen collaboration rather than drift further apart.
Kariuki also praised ongoing work on a regional standby force and efforts to boost the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) as well as ECOWAS’ Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
He pointed to Security Council Resolution 2719 as a “landmark tool” that could allow UN support for African Union-led security operations.
Reaffirming the UK’s commitment to supporting African-led responses, the ambassador highlighted British support for intelligence-sharing hubs, including funding and training for Nigeria’s National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Côte d’Ivoire’s Counter Terrorism Academy, and the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit, which aids the MNJTF.
But Kariuki warned West African governments to be cautious about the security partnerships they embrace, stressing that the wrong alliances could worsen the already-explosive situation.
He urged leaders to confront the root causes of terrorism, including poverty, poor governance, shrinking civic space, disinformation campaigns, and the intensifying impacts of climate change.
Kariuki cautioned that unless governments address these underlying issues, “conflict and terrorism will continue to destroy local communities and disrupt livelihoods, with disproportionate harm to women and children.”
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