Armed groups in the Central Sahel are increasingly modifying off‑the‑shelf civilian drones to carry explosives and execute suicide-style attacks, the Institute for Security Studies reported.
The African think tank added that armed groups are adopting kamikaze drone tactics similar to those used by Sahelian troops, who operate Turkish Bayraktar Akinci and TB2 drones, adapting to the increased military capabilities of regional armies.
The use of these small drones, often deployed to drop explosives on military targets, signals a shift toward asymmetric warfare by enabling militants to avoid direct engagement.
Concerns over the advancement of militant tactics come as the military reported that jihadists launched coordinated attacks on seven military positions in western Mali earlier this month, with assaults in at least four towns, including an army camp in the city of Kayes.
Growing Instability
Violence driven by jihadist groups, separatist factions, and criminal networks is increasingly spilling into Niger and Burkina Faso, escalating instability across the Central Sahel.
Malian authorities said the scale and timing of recent assaults suggest a higher level of coordination among militants, possibly involving region-wide planning across the Confederation of Sahel States.
In June, dozens of civilians were killed in Niger’s border region with Burkina Faso and Mali in a suspected jihadist attack.
The month before, violence in Djibo, Burkina Faso, left several dozen soldiers and civilians dead.
It followed coordinated assaults by hundreds of militants on military and police sites across the area just days earlier.
These developments unfold as the withdrawal of international forces continues to reshape the region’s security landscape, amid the growing presence of Russian-linked paramilitary groups.
These events unfold as the continues to reshape the Sahel’s security landscape, alongside the growing influence of Russian-linked paramilitary groups.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the African Press Agency reported Mali’s government had disclosed that militants are increasingly using commercially available drones modified into suicide drones.
