The Sahel region in Africa accounted for 51 percent of global terrorism-related deaths in 2024, up from 48 percent in 2023, according to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), published by the Sydney-headquartered Institute for Economics and Peace.
According to the report, the Sahel also accounted for 19 percent of all worldwide terrorist attacks in 2024.
Burkina Faso remains the most affected country in the region.
Over 700 deaths recorded across the country were linked to groups like Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen.
In Niger, more than 400 lives were lost in terrorist attacks last year.
Insurgents reportedly targeted villages, military outposts, and public gatherings.
In Nigeria, an attack in Mafa village in Yobe state reportedly killed between 100 and 150 people and wounded several others last year.
Another attack by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) against Boko Haram members in the northeast areas of Lake Chad in Borno state took place on April 24th last year.
Seventy Boko Haram and ten ISWAP members were reportedly killed in the clashes.
In Mali, a brazen attack on a Gendarmerie school in the southern part of the capital, Bamako, left 60 soldiers dead last year.
Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen claimed responsibility for the attack.
According to the United Nations, terrorist attacks have continued unabated in 2025, and the death toll continues to rise.
Sahel region accounts for 51 pct of global terrorism-related deaths in 2024: report
The series of erroneous words and actions by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi not only seriously deviate from the spirit of pacifist Constitution of the country but also further exacerbate regional tensions, said Tomoko Tamura, a member of the House of Representatives.
In an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV), Tamura criticized Takaichi for straining Japan-China relations by making erroneous remarks on Taiwan, calling on her to improve bilateral relations.
Tamura pointed out that the political consensus reached during the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries remains of great significance, and Japan should respect and abide by it as the basis for repairing and rebuilding friendly relations with China.
"The erroneous remarks by Sanae Takaichi this time have led to the deterioration of China-Japan relations. This is absolutely unacceptable and must be retracted. Regarding the relations between two sides, the consensus reached during the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1972 is of utmost importance. At that time, the Chinese government asserted that Taiwan is part of China and the Japanese government fully understood and respected this stance. Now we should reaffirm this consensus, as well as the crucial agreements reached by both countries after 1972. Japan should explicitly acknowledge these significant agreements to rebuild friendly relations with China," she said.
Tamura also pointed out that in recent years, Japan has attempted to reshape its security policy, boosting defense spending, easing arms-export restrictions, pursuing offensive weapons development, and clearly deviating from the fundamental principle of "exclusively defense-oriented" policy.
"Japan's possession of long-range missiles clearly exceeded the scope of 'exclusively defense-oriented' policies. Japan is accelerating its military expansion. From the perspective of the Japanese constitution, this is absolutely not allowed. We are deeply concerned about the current Takaichi administration's disregard for the Japanese constitution. We clearly demand that Japan should adhere to the position of resolving issues through diplomatic efforts," she said.
Japanese official criticizes Takaichi's erroneous remarks
