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Escalating Terrorism in West Africa, Sahel Hits Women Hardest, Speakers Tell Security Council

Meetings Coverage
Security Council

9974th Meeting (AM)

SC/16138
7 August 2025

The security situation across the Sahel is deteriorating rapidly, threatening peace and security in West Africa's coastal States and beyond, delegates warned the Security Council today, condemning the deliberate targeting and exploitation of women and girls caught in the crossfire.

The Sahel is "where the world's gravest concerns converge" — terrorism, coups, environmental collapse, poverty, hunger, dwindling development financing, shrinking humanitarian access and a declining UN presence on the ground — said Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women).

These crises, she said, "land — specifically, violently and disproportionately — on the bodies and futures of women and girls". Noting that over 1 million girls in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso are out of school because of terrorist attacks or threats, she stressed: "Abduction is not a by-product of terrorism in the Sahel, it is a tactic." In Burkina Faso alone, the number of women and girls abducted rose by over 218 per cent last year.

Further, when a girl loses her education, she becomes vulnerable, she said. Mali, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso rank among the highest globally in child marriage rates. Female genital mutilation affects 90 per cent of women in Mali and 76 per cent in Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger are among the bottom 10 countries by the Human Development Index and Gender Development Index.

Meanwhile, food insecurity levels nearly doubled this summer compared to 18 months ago, with heat-related deaths expected to increase fourfold by 2080. Women and girls travel longer distances to fetch water or firewood with two thirds feeling unsafe on these journeys in a region that already ranks among the highest globally for reported cases of sexual and gender-based violence. Compounding the crises, development assistance dropped by nearly 20 per cent in the last two years.

"Despite this, there is hope", she stated. In Chad, women now hold 34 per cent of parliamentary seats, double the previous share, and the 2023 constitution pledges to end child marriage and female genital mutilation.

Turning to solutions, she urged Governments and regional bodies to ensure women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in transitional Governments and peace and security efforts. Further, at least 15 per cent of violent extremism prevention funding should be invested in gender equality and to support the rapid deployment of women protection advisers to the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) to monitor sexual violence trends and engage with parties to conflict.

"The multi-layered insecurities confronting women in West Africa cannot be over-emphasized," echoed Levinia Addae-Mensah, Executive Director of West Africa Network for Peacebuilding, underscoring that women are "not just victims but exhibit tremendous capacity to foster change". Her organization's work continues to reveal extraordinary resilience and leadership by women in building peace, particularly in the Sahel, where women's social networks are on the frontlines of peacebuilding, mediating local conflicts, leading trauma healing initiatives, organizing humanitarian response, and operating early warning networks.

"While frameworks and National Action Plans exist, their translation into sustainable transformation remains weak," she continued, noting that women's participation is viewed as an "add-on" rather than a strategic imperative and, therefore, contributes to the chronic underfunding.

Accordingly, she stressed that the UN peacebuilding architecture must emphasize the central role of women as equal and strategic leaders, and local women-led initiatives must be able to access resources directly. She also called for a shift from protection-only to prosperity-based prevention by promoting women's economic empowerment and prioritizing land rights, access to finance, vocational training and entrepreneurship during transitions and post-conflict recovery periods.

The women, peace and security agenda is not just about a UN resolution, she stressed, but also about "the lives and futures of millions of women and girls across West Africa".

Offering a glimpse into the complex security landscape across the region, Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), presented the Secretary-General's latest report on the Office's activities.

Citing terrorist activity in Mali, Benin, Togo and Nigeria, he said it has surged "in scale, complexity and sophistication, including through the use of drones, alternative internet communication, and increasing collusion with transnational organized crime". He further cautioned that young people are increasingly becoming prime targets for recruitment by terrorist and violent extremist groups.

To counter these threats, he highlighted that the member States of the Alliance of Sahel States — Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — have established a joint defence force and common structures covering defence and security, diplomacy and development. He also welcomed the Alliance's establishment of a Criminal Court in Bamako to address war crimes, serious human rights violations, terrorism and crimes against humanity — a step that underscores "a commitment to justice and peace".

Growing insecurity compounds an already dire humanitarian situation, he emphasized, adding that 12.8 million people are projected to face acute food insecurity and 2.6 million children are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition in 2025. However, only 14 per cent of funding for the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for the Sahel region has been received, he said, urging resource mobilization "to save the lives of millions of people at risk".

Violence against Women, Girls

In the ensuing discussion, many delegates expressed concern about the horrific human rights situation of women and girls across the region — including abductions, sexual slavery, forced marriage and rape.

"The violence must stop" and women must urgently receive access to justice, protection mechanisms, life-saving services, healthcare and psychosocial support, stated Denmark's delegate. However, she stressed that enhancing protection is not enough, urging women's full, equal, meaningful and safe participation across electoral and peace processes — and "in every single aspect of life".

At a time when the threat of terrorism and violent extremism continues to deepen and spill over into the Gulf of Guinea, Mauritania and Senegal, the leadership of women and girls is "more essential than ever", concurred Slovenia's representative. She emphasized that sexual and gender-based violence is "not incidental but systematic".

Volatile Security Situation, Terrorist Threats

Sierra Leone's delegate, also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Somalia, was among the many who voiced concern over the evolving security situation in the region, citing an unprecedented surge in terrorist and extremist violence by the so-called Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

The growing threat of famine, the compounding effects of climate shocks, and the sustained high numbers of internally displaced persons and refugees "demand urgent and coordinated action", he continued. In this context, he welcomed the Secretary-General's approval of the $7 million cross-border initiative to strengthen water management, climate resilience and peacebuilding in the border areas of Mali, Mauritania and Senegal.

Also calling for a multidimensional approach to countering terrorism and violent extremism, Pakistan's delegate underscored the need to focus not only on kinetic actions but on the underlying root causes. He welcomed recent efforts by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union "to expedite counter-terrorism coordination mechanisms and encourage continued support to African-led solutions".

Adding to that, the speaker for the Republic of Korea said that, according to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, the Sahel region accounted for 51 per cent of global terrorism-related deaths in 2024. Urging coordinated regional responses to dismantle transboundary terrorist networks, he welcomed the renewed commitment of regional leaders to enhance cooperation between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States.

Greece's delegate observed that violent extremist groups continue to destabilize vast areas — threatening land borders and vital maritime routes in the Gulf of Guinea. While piracy incidents in the Gulf have fallen significantly, largely due to the Yaoundé Architecture and enhanced naval coordination, "the threat is evolving", with "the potential to exploit maritime routes to finance their operations", he observed.

The United States' delegate urged Sahelian States and their coastal West African neighbours to "set aside differences and seek a coordinated response to terrorism" that respects the rule of law and human rights, including military cooperation and intelligence sharing — as "terrorists don't respect borders". Citing the crisis unfolding in Sudan, with its far-reaching impacts on peace and security in the Sahel, she called on the belligerents "to immediately end their violence".

For his part, the Russian Federation's representative expressed concern over the terrorists' use of modern means of communication and drones. "Who exactly is getting such resources into the hands of these terrorist groups must be determined," he asserted, citing confirmed cases of Ukraine's support for terrorism in Mali.

Security-Development Nexus

Emphasizing the disastrous humanitarian consequences of crises in the Sahel, France's delegate noted that counter-terrorism efforts must be grounded in a comprehensive approach — including upholding fundamental rights and freedoms, strengthening the rule of law, and fighting disinformation and extremist content — with UNOWAS playing an important role.

China's representative echoed the call for a balanced strategy, stating: "Security and development are two wings of one body." He stressed that development reinforces security, while security is a prerequisite for development, and urged the international community to support affected countries by bolstering national governance and capacity-building initiatives.

Regional Unity

"Regional unity is critical in addressing the growing security challenges and tackling transnational threats," observed the speaker for the United Kingdom. The agreement between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States will bring benefits to the citizens of the region, including freedom of movement and ease of trade, she said, calling for this spirit of cooperation to be extended to counter-terrorism and broader security efforts.

Speaking in his national capacity, the representative of Panama, Council President for August, emphasized that "solely military solutions are not only inadequate and insufficient to counter extremism, but [ultimately] counterproductive."