The United States has identified Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin as critical fronts in its 2026 counterterrorism strategy, warning that extremist groups operating across Africa remain a growing threat to global security.
In the strategy document, the US government said parts of Africa, including West Africa, the Sahel region, the Lake Chad Basin, Mozambique, Sudan and Somalia, have witnessed a resurgence of terrorist activities following the collapse of ISIS strongholds in Iraq and Syria.
The document noted that remnants of the Islamic State and affiliated jihadist groups had relocated to Africa and Central Asia, exploiting ungoverned spaces and weak security structures.
“Subsequently, the surviving remnants of the world’s most dangerous terrorist group of the modern age were forced to relocate to Africa and Central Asia, in turn exploiting the ungoverned spaces there.
The US said its major objective in Africa would be to prevent extremist groups from establishing operational bases capable of launching attacks against American interests.
