West Africa is facing a quiet collapse of regional order as foreign non-state actors exploit weak governance, fragile security sectors, and international neglect, new analysis warns.
On June 6, 2025, the notorious Russia-backed Wagner Group announced their imminent withdrawal from Mali. Operating in the Sahelian country for three and a half years, the private military company (PMC) has faced its fair share of criticism from the...
A new report from the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), written by research analyst Riza Kumar, exposes the repercussions of deploying civilian counterterrorism militias in Mali, Niger, and Mozambique in response to the severe threat of Islamic...
During the past decade and a half, extremist non-state actors in Russia have become a central element of the violent transnational right-wing extremist milieu. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and particularly its re-invasion of the country in...
During the past decade and a half, extremist non-state actors in Russia have become a central element of the violent transnational right-wing extremist milieu. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and particularly its re-invasion of the country in...
Riza Kumar
Research Analyst, Counter Extremism Project (CEP)
On February 28, 2024, CEP hosted a webinar to highlight the decade-long insurgency across the Sahel and the factors that have contributed to the resiliency of violent extremism across the region. Experts outlined and analyzed the factors that contribute to instability across the Sahel and the long-term impact of counterterrorism practices across the region.
Anna Wasserfall
Policy Advisor for West Africa at Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)
On February 28, 2024, CEP hosted a webinar to highlight the decade-long insurgency across the Sahel and the factors that have contributed to the resiliency of violent extremism across the region. Experts outlined and analyzed the factors that contribute to instability across the Sahel and the long-term impact of counterterrorism practices across the region.
Delina Goxho
Associate Fellow at EGMONT - Royal Institute for International Relations
On February 28, 2024, CEP hosted a webinar to highlight the decade-long insurgency across the Sahel and the factors that have contributed to the resiliency of violent extremism across the region. Experts outlined and analyzed the factors that contribute to instability across the Sahel and the long-term impact of counterterrorism practices across the region.
"The Counter Extremism Project’s Riza Kumar warned: 'Wagner’s violent activities are increasing ammunition for violent extremist groups in their recruiting efforts across the Sahel. Whether or not Wagner establishes formal ties with Burkina Faso and Niger, the PMC’s impact is being felt across the region.
'As violent extremist groups expand their geographical scope, they have the potential to influence the communities on the border areas and potentially persuade them to see Wagner as predatorial rather than protective.'"
The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) released a new report today, The Wagner Group In Central Sahel: Decolonization or Destabilization? The report analyzes the implications of the Kremlin-based Wagner Group’s involvement in countering insurgencies in...
The Counter Extremism Project Presents
Marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Counter Extremism Project's ARCHER at House 88 presents a landmark concert of music composed in ghettos and death camps, performed in defiance of resurgent antisemitism. Curated with world renowned composer, conductor, and musicologist Francesco Lotoro, the program restores classical, folk, and popular works, many written on scraps of paper or recalled from memory, to public consciousness. Featuring world and U.S. premieres from Lotoro's archive, this concert honors a repertoire that endured against unimaginable evil.