Nigeria, July 30 -- Recent attacks in Central Sahel reflect a worrying evolution of the terror threat in West Africa. The situation demands more from the region's states and partners than declarations of solidarity with those affected. Active security cooperation is urgently needed with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger - the three countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

On 25 April, the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) launched a series of coordinated attacks on several cities in northern, central and southern Mali. This was the most ambitious operation by the armed groups since the outbreak of the Malian security crisis in 2012. It led to Defence Minist...