West Africa in January 2026: the most important developments in security
West Africa's security picture in January 2026 combined violence with crime and migration. Nigerian troops rescued 18 passengers after pirates attacked a boat bound for Cameroon. On January 15, an attack in northwest Cameroon killed 14 people, including children.
Ghana took in West Africans deported by the United States and later forced them to return home. On January 19, Ghana arrested Nigerians accused of running cyber-crime networks in Accra. In Sierra Leone, a Dutch drug trafficker expanded his power and threatened the press.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.