Ibrahim Maiga | ISS Africa

Elections in Burkina Faso and Niger take place amidst insecurity and COVID-19, as happened in Mali earlier this year.

As a transnational problem, terrorism can benefit from external support, but lasting solutions must come from affected communities.

Fundamental development interventions, not militarised approaches, can improve the region’s dire long-term prospects.

Violent extremists, Malian armed groups and self defence groups are all involved in the region's illicit activities and local conflicts.

Through three scenarios, this report explores development trajectories and presents recommendations for the future.

People see themselves as double victims caught between violent extremists and their governments’ restrictive security measures.

While the opposition rejected the results, many lessons can be drawn from Mali’s election.

Officially they are there to fight terror, but external interventions may be more about self-interest.

Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration are a priority if peace is to be achieved.

The real need is for development and service delivery in the remote Liptako-Gourma border regions.

A new merger of al-Qaeda-linked groups in Mali might pose serious risks for regional security.

On 18 January, Mali suffered one of the deadliest attacks since the start of the 2012 crisis.