The jihadist group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), affiliated with Al-Qaeda, has significantly increased its use of armed drones in the Sahel since 2023, warns a report by the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS).
The report was published Tuesday, co-authored by Rida Lyammouri, a senior fellow at PCNS, and Niccola Milnes.
This technological development of using drones is worrying experts and weakening the current counterterrorism strategies of the region’s states.
The report lists more than 30 confirmed attacks since the first, in September 2023 in Mali, 82 percent of which have been recorded since March 2025. These strikes targeted military positions in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Togo, with signs of expansion into Niger and Benin.
Among the most notable incidents, the report cites an attack in June 2025 in Boulkessi (Mali), in which several dozen Malian soldiers were killed; another in April 2025 in Togo, which killed five soldiers; and another in May 2025 in Eknewane (Niger), which killed 41 Nigerien forces.
JNIM uses commercial DJI or FPV drones, modified to carry explosive charges, and uses offline artificial intelligence algorithms to optimise trajectories and circumvent jamming systems. These attacks are filmed and broadcast to increase psychological pressure on regular forces.
Faced with this threat, national armies appear disorganised, with limited detection capabilities and disparate responses.
“JNIM has transformed drones into weapons of asymmetric warfare. Without a coordinated response, the threat will soon exceed the control capabilities of states,” warns Rida Lyammouri, co-author of the report.
The PCNS recommends creating a regional counter-drone task force, developing accessible countermeasures such as jammers and decoys, and training troops in survival tactics, including camouflage and the use of smoke.
The Sahel, already the epicenter of global jihadism, is thus seeing asymmetric warfare cross a new technological threshold, forcing states to strengthen their response capabilities.
Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, led by the military and united under the Confederation of Sahel States, have announced the upcoming creation of a 5,000-strong joint force to harmonise their military response to armed terrorist groups.
Each of these countries has already acquired armed drones from the Turkish manufacturer Baykar, which they are deploying in their operations.
AC/Sf/fss/as/APA