The wider threat of instability created by the conflict in the Sahel

A few weeks ago, Algerian Lieutenant General Said Chengriha visited Mauritania and met with Lieutenant General Mokhtar Bellah Chaabane ; it was the first such meeting by an Algerian military official of this rank to visit Nouakchott. Reporting by Arab Weekly, suggested that Chengriha’s visit reflected a shared concern about threats coming from the Sahel region and the ongoing crisis in neighboring countries. 

Mauritania and Algeria share a 286-mile-long common border which poses major security challenges as the region is seen as a key area for the movement and activity of armed groups, whether jihadists, smuggling gangs or arms dealers. In addition, there is the ongoing impact of illegal migration networks. 

Understandably Algeria and Mauritania are conscious of any confrontations in Mali, where armed Azawad (Tuareg) factions have confronted the Malian army, supported by the Russian Wagner Group, an impact that has extended to the Algerian border. The threats to Algeria were made evident in July 2024 when the Tuareg-led coalition attacked Wagner mercenaries and Malian forces near the border town of Tinzaouaten, just 12 miles from Algeria. The battle left dozens of Wagner and Malian soldiers dead and reports suggest that Wagner suffered one of its heaviest losses in Africa, with up to 50 of its fighters killed in the ambush. 

However, it is not just Algeria and Mauritania that are concerned, recent reporting by Reuters suggests that Islamist militants fighting in Burkina Faso are using Ghana's north as a logistical and medical base to help their insurgency. Ghana shares a 372-mile border with Burkina Faso, where an uprising has killed thousands and displaced millions. Could Ghana become the next country to be impacted by the instability in the Sahel?  

Boniface Gambila Adagbila, Ghana's ambassador to Burkina Faso, told Reuters that the militants were taking advantage of porous borders and saw Ghana as a "safe haven". He said Ghana was working with Burkina Faso to "flush them out".  

So, the security situation in the Sahel is creating significant alarm across the region. After all a larger share of the world’s terrorism-related deaths come from Africa’s Sahel region than South Asia and MENA combined. The Sahel now accounts for 43 percent of the world’s terrorism deaths. That is a startling statistic and one that is bound to put pressure on neighboring countries and could potentially start to impact the Maghreb region more than we have seen. 

*Kieran Baker is an Emmy award winning journalist who has started up various networks including Al Jazeera English, Bloomberg TV Africa and TRT World.