The Changing Nature of Security Threats in the Central Sahel Region: The Rise of Self-Defense Groups

Multiple domestic and international interventions to address the proliferation of violent extremist groups in the Central Sahel region have yielded limited results. The states in the region, particularly Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have responded by creating or empowering existing community self-defense groups, as well as hiring private security companies often linked to foreign governments, such as Russia, to combat the growing insecurity.