Africa Conflict-Diplomacy Daily Brief - 9 March , 2026

Executive Summary

The security environment in the Sahel and Central Africa continues to be characterized by high-intensity asymmetric conflict. Claims by JNIM and ISWAP of coordinated attacks across Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, and Nigeria indicate that transnational jihadist networks retain operational capacity and continue to expand their activities across borders. Attacks targeting military positions in Benin particularly highlight the ongoing spillover of Sahel-based militant threats into coastal West African states. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the reported handover of more than 5,000 FARDC personnel by AFC/M23 to the ICRC represents a potential de-escalatory step, although continued military activity in North Kivu suggests that active hostilities remain ongoing. In Somalia, the formal signing of the new constitution marks a significant step toward political institutionalization, while in Niger, the results of large-scale counterterrorism operations indicate that security forces are maintaining sustained operational pressure against militant groups. Overall, the developments suggest that conflict dynamics across the Sahel and Central Africa are likely to persist in the near term.