UNOWAS chief Leonardo Santos Simão says armed groups are modernising fast and now targeting coastal West African states too
The United Nations has warned that terrorist groups operating in northern Nigeria and across West Africa and the Sahel are increasingly deploying drones, sophisticated communications technology and cryptocurrencies in their operations, and are now rapidly expanding into coastal states in the Gulf of Guinea.
The warning came in a briefing to the UN Security Council by Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).
Simão presented the Secretary-General’s latest report, covering developments in the region between 29 November 2025 and 30 June 2026, as the council reviewed the political, security and humanitarian situation and following its decision to extend UNOWAS’s mandate until 31 January 2029.
Why UN says terrorists using drones and crypto is a growing threat
Simão said terrorist groups are evolving rapidly, making the threat harder to contain.
“The threat posed by terrorist groups and other non-state armed groups remains acute, particularly in the central Sahel and northern Nigeria, and is now rapidly targeting coastal states in the Gulf of Guinea,” he said.
He added that armed groups are increasingly using drones, sophisticated communications and cryptocurrencies while coordinating operations across borders.
He said the groups’ activities have become intertwined with transnational organised crime and drug trafficking, aimed at consolidating territorial and economic control while eroding public confidence in state authority.
“The problem is acute, especially in the central Sahel and northern Nigeria. Their actions intersect with transnational organised crime, and are aimed at consolidating territorial and economic control, erosion of public confidence in State authority, with serious damage to social cohesion,” he said.
Humanitarian toll and signs of regional cooperation
Simão said Nigeria, Niger and Burkina Faso continue to experience terrorist attacks, kidnappings and significant civilian casualties, with attacks on schools threatening the future of entire communities.
He disclosed that about 6.8 million people have been displaced across the region, while another 1.28 million have become refugees or asylum seekers, describing the human cost of the violence as devastating.
Women, children and young people continue to bear the greatest burden of the crisis, he said, as insecurity and funding shortfalls limit humanitarian access.
Despite the worsening security situation, Simão cited renewed regional cooperation, including the reopening of the Kamba border crossing between Nigeria and Niger, and progress by the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission in implementing the 2002 International Court of Justice judgment on the countries’ land and maritime boundary.
“These are some examples of regional efforts towards dialogue,” he said.
Simão added that military operations alone would not eliminate terrorism, and urged governments to address the socio-economic factors driving violent extremism.
“Fighting poverty and vulnerability must therefore remain a common objective in the broader fight against terrorism. Regional actors are working hard to find solutions,” he said.
He also noted that ECOWAS has renewed efforts to operationalise its standby force but remains constrained by limited funding.
