In the Sahel, drone warfare has reached unprecedented levels. On July 14, the Policy Center for the New South, a Moroccan research institute, published a report that sheds light on the growing intensity of attacks with these devices that are being carried out by armed groups in the region − particularly by Nusrat al-Islam (JNIM), Al-Qaeda’s Sahelian affiliate.
The institute has recorded more than 30 confirmed drone attacks since September 2023, of which 82% (24 attacks) were concentrated between March and June 2025. These included the assault on the Malian military base in Boulikessi on June 1, when JNIM used drones to drop explosives and claimed to have killed more than 100 Malian soldiers.
These devices, which had previously been limited to surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, have evolved into weapons capable of carrying out direct strikes. In September 2023, the report stated, JNIM conducted its first armed drone attack, “dropping two [improvised explosive devices] on Dan Na Ambassagou [a Dogon militia fighting jihadist groups] positions in Bandiagara,” in the Mopti region in central Mali.
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