According to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), the Sahel continues as the region where the most terrorist violence occurred in 2024, with Burkina Faso being killed again the most.
According to a GTI report published by Sydney, the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace, the Sahel accounts for half of terrorist deaths and 19% of all attacks in 2024.
Despite the decline in terrorist violence in Burkina Faso, it has been a country that is prone to such violence for the second year in a row, reflecting the sharp deterioration since its 114th place rank in 2011.
“Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger ranked outside the top 30 in 2011 and have been one of the people who have been consistently affected by terrorism since 2017,” the report states. “This highlights the geographical changes in the epicenter of terrorism from the Middle East to the Sahel, which have a significant impact on regional stability.”
Burkina Faso has been committed by Pakistan and Syria as the three most terrorist-violent countries, mostly by Islamic extremist groups and many targeting Christians. In addition to Burkina Faso and Niger, other Sahel countries in the top 10 were Mali in fourth and Cameroon in ten. To close the top 10, Somalia ranked seventh, eighth Israel and nineth Afghanistan.
Burkina Faso stayed at the top ranking despite a 57% drop in attacks and a 21% drop in deaths. The fifth of all terrorist deaths in the world was in Burkina Faso. Niger and Pakistan showed the biggest increase in terrorist deaths, up 94% and 45%, respectively.
The report found that terrorist-related deaths in Burkina Faso have fallen from 1,935 in 2023 to 1,532 in 2024, with attacks falling from 260 in 2023 to 111 in 2024.
“This is the third year in a row where more than 1,000 people have been killed in a terrorist attack in Burkina Faso,” the report said. “Faso in northern Burkina Faso near the border between Mali and Niger, in the north and eastern central regions, have experienced the most terrorist attacks, accounting for more than two-thirds of all attacks in 2024.”
Of the deaths at Burkina Faso, 682 occurred along the Niger border of Centre Node and EST, with the previous region recording the highest death toll in 11 regions of the country. Burkina Faso’s most deadly attack in 2024 took place at the Center Node. There, Jamaat Nusrat Al Islamic Waluis Limeen (JNIM) extremists launched a massive attack targeting both soldiers and civilians.
“The victims were engaged in digging defensive trenches for the defense of the Army and volunteers’ homeland, an armed civilian group supporting Burkina Faso’s military efforts,” the report said. “The report estimates the death toll is between 200 and 600, with hundreds more injured.”
Jnim is Burkina Faso’s most prominent terrorist group, claiming almost half of the country’s attacks in 2024. While Islamic State (IS) activities at Burkina FASO only claimed responsibility for one attack last year, the attacks with Jnim were significantly higher as 55% of attacks were attributed to 55% of attacks. group. ”
The Sahel alliance, formed last year by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, represents the regional efforts to combat terrorism following the withdrawal of France and UN troops.
“Despite these efforts, security situation remains vulnerable and there have been reports of human rights violations by both rebels and government forces,” the GTI report states.
The military junta of Burkina Faso’s Colonel Ibrahim Traore will expand its rules until 2029, with international observers concerned that it could exacerbate the instability exploited by terrorist groups.
“The government has taken steps such as freezing the assets of individuals accused of terrorist financing and prioritizing anti-terrorism efforts, but it is unclear whether the recent decline in terrorist deaths will continue to advance or show temporary fluctuations.”
The Islamic State and its affiliates remained the world’s most deadly terrorist group, operating in 2023 in 2024, operating in 22 countries, but deaths caused by the group and its affiliates fell by 10% from 1,996 to 1,805.
Deterioration of Niger
Niger’s deterioration from 10th to 5th place was the worst ranking since GTI began.
“Niger recorded the biggest increase, with deaths increasing from 479 in 2023 to 930 in 2024,” the report states. “This is the largest recorded death toll in the country since the index began.”
The number of terrorist attacks in Niger increased to 101 in 2024, up from 62 in the previous year. Niger civilian killings nearly tripled in 2024, but military deaths rose from 340 the previous year to 499, accounting for more than half of the country’s terrorist-related deaths, the report said.
“Niger currently has the highest military death casualties from any country’s terrorism in 2024,” it said. “Niger’s most deadly attack in 2024 occurred when more than 300 gunmen killed 237 soldiers in an attack in the Tahoa area near the Mali border. Although he has not claimed responsibility at the time of writing, the attack was globally fatal in 2024.”
The Islamic rebellion in the Central Sahel had serious impact on the Tirabeli region, an unstable tertiary region shared with Burkina Faso and Mali. JNIM’s activities in Niger increased significantly in 2024, with the group claiming responsibility for 13 attacks that caused 109 deaths. The attacks also remained stable from the previous year, with deaths halved to 108.
“However, the full scope of activity by these groups remains unknown, as 75% and 66% of deaths in 2024 are not claimed by terrorist groups,” the report states.
The political and security upheaval following the July 2023 coup created a ripe environment of exploitation by Islamic extremist groups.
“Niger’s shift to partnership with Russia has contributed to a sharp increase in terrorist attacks and deaths, accompanied by a decline in cooperation with Western allies,” the report said. “Russian military instructors arrived in April 2024 to replace the western army, but their efforts focus on limited experience in the Sahel and supporting the ruling military regime.
The disruption in existing counterterrorism operations is to open opportunities to groups such as JNIM and escalate activities in the region as ties with Western countries such as France and the United States have been cut off.
trend
Other shifts have seen Nigeria’s ranking worsen from 8th to 6th, while Somalia has now reached 7th. Afghanistan moved from 6th to 9th to 9th, while Syria moved from 5th to 3rd.
“Pakistan, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Somalia have been consistently ranked among the 10 most affected countries since 2011, demonstrating the ongoing challenges in dealing with terrorism,” the report said.
In Nigeria, the GTI only tracked attacks by the Boko Harm and the Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP), putting aside murderers committed by Fulani herdsmen, including Fulani militias. From October 2019 to September 2023, Nigerian “armed Fulani herdsmen” killed 11,948 civilians in Nigeria, according to an August 2024 report by the African Religious Freedom Observatory. “Other terrorist groups,” commonly known as “Fulani bandits,” killed another 12,039 civilians during that period.
In Pakistan, terrorism has reached its highest level since 2014, and according to GTI, the country has moved from fourth place the previous year to second place. Terrorism-related deaths in Pakistan increased to 1,081.
“Since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, terrorism has increased significantly in Pakistan, with the number of attacks increasing five times since 2021,” the report said. “The recent surge in Pakistan’s terrorism has been driven primarily by an increase in activity from the Terrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan.”
The four terrorist groups responsible for most deaths in 2024 were Islamic State, Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islamic Wal Muslimine, Telek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al-Shabaab. These four groups were responsible for 4,204 terrorist deaths or 80% of those attributed to a particular group.
In 2014, these four groups were responsible for less than 40% of terrorist deaths caused by the group, highlighting the major global changes in terrorism over the past decade. In 2014, most terrorist deaths were attributed to Boko Haram and the Taliban, accounting for 17% and 5% of the total, according to the report.
IS and its affiliates were the deadliest terrorist organizations last year, with 1,805 deaths in 22 countries. Four major terrorist groups continued to increase their activity, increasing killings by 11% compared to the previous year to 4,204.
The number of countries suffering from at least one terrorist attack has increased from 58 to 66. This has been affected since 2018. More countries have worsened than they have improved for the first time in seven years, with 45 people increasing the impact of terrorism and only 34 people showing improvement.
Terrorist deaths fell globally to 7,555 last year, down 13% from the previous year. The cuts were due to massive spikes from the previous year following the Hamas attack on October 7th. Otherwise, the deaths would have been roughly the same, the report said.
The number of terrorist attacks also fell, down 3% to 3,492. Reports say the decline was driven primarily by an 85% reduction in terrorist activity in Myanmar, with rebel groups previously engaged in more traditional military wars.
“Without Myanmar, global terrorist attacks would have increased by 8%,” the report said.
Terrorism-related deaths in Myanmar have decreased from 356 in 2023 to 24 in 2024.
“As the crisis in Myanmar deepens, the decline in terrorist deaths is likely linked to an increase in the strength of rebel groups,” the report said. “Because of their stronger capabilities, these groups appear to be less dependent on terrorist attacks, instead focusing on traditional wars against the junta.”
In Europe, terrorist incidents have doubled to 67, including attacks by IS and Hamas.
“The revival of the attack is particularly notable in seven Western countries: Sweden, Australia, Finland, Holland, Denmark and Switzerland, with Germany ranked the worst at 27th in the index,” the report said. “There are currently seven Western countries ranked among the 50 most affected countries in GTI.”
At the same time, in the United States, anti-Semitism and Islamophobic hate crimes escalated sharply following the October 7, 2023 attack on Hamastero, with the FBI recorded incidents rising 270% in just two months.
“A similar pattern emerged in Europe and Australia, where attacks on synagogues were reported throughout the year,” it said.
