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| Terror Networks | |
| Drones are Transforming the Sahel Conflict. Here's How | |
| 2026-07-08 | |
| [Fronts] Perhaps the biggest global consequence of the Ukraine War has been the proliferation of cheap drone capabilities to state and non-state actors across the world. by Brant Philip Perhaps the biggest global consequence of the Ukraine War has been the proliferation of cheap drone capabilities to state and non-state actors across the world. While drones were used in earlier conflicts, such as the Islamic State's war against the International Coalition in Syria and Iraq, they were less-sophisticated and used sparingly. Today, though, small suicide FPV drones, drones designed to drop a munition, and spotter drones have spread across battlefields from Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, to Haiti and Nigeria. But there are few wars where the impact may soon grow to be as disruptive as in the Sahel. THE SAHELIAN CONTEXT So why is the drone picture in the Sahel different? Contrary to other actors that benefit from state support and funding, such as HTS (backed by Turkey and Ukraine),
KEY TAKEAWAYS Cheap drone capabilities proliferated from Ukraine are transforming the Sahel conflict faster than most other theaters despite limited state support for local jihadist groups. Leveraging this support, the FLA became the earliest adopter of the technology in the region. In 2024, an envoy of Ukrainian military instructors visited the group in northern Mali, and after this first encounter a batch of rebels was sent to Ukraine for hands-on training with the armed forces, where they learned both to fly drones against their targets and to assemble the components themselves. Following this training, the rebels returned home and began teaching their brothers-in-arms directly, first on computer simulators and then with real drones. More at the link | |
| Posted by:badanov |