What does the latest UN report reveal about Africa’s jihadist threat?
Africa’s jihadist affiliates of Islamic State and al‑Qaeda killed more than 22,000 people in the past 18 months, ACLED data shows.
Source: ACLED · August 16, 2026 at 5:44 PM · AI-assisted report
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KUALA LUMPUR, 14 AUGUST 2026 —
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Africa’s jihadist affiliates of Islamic State and al‑Qaeda killed more than 22,000 people in the past 18 months, ACLED data shows.
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The Sahel accounted for 12,047 of those fatalities, with groups such as Jama’at Nusrat al‑Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) financing expansion through local taxation and a US$50 million ransom paid last year. In East Africa, al‑Shabaab was responsible for 10,378 deaths despite weaker extortion revenue in Mogadishu, ACLED records indicate.
Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) remains the smallest affiliate, with an estimated 400–500 fighters. Both ISM and the Allied Democratic Forces—also known as Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP)—use surveillance drones and are expected to weaponise them soon. ISCAP carried out just one drone attack in the period, ACLED data shows.
Curbing local financing through ransoms, mining extortion and kidnapping will determine whether these groups remain modest threats or escalate further, ACLED warns.