(Berlin, DE)  — 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.

Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah and Russia’s Wagner Group/Africa Corps are accelerating instability across the region by embedding themselves in local power structures, using West Africa as a base for global criminal finance, and fueling cycles of violence and repression under the guise of counterterrorism.

The findings—authored by Dr. Matthew Levitt and John Lechner—are published in a new joint report by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and the Counter Extremism Project (CEP): “External Non-State Actors as a Source of Instability in West Africa: Hezbollah and Wagner/Africa Corps.”

Hezbollah’s Financial Infrastructure Across Africa

While Hezbollah does not typically carry out attacks in Africa, the report finds the group has deeply entrenched illicit financial networks across the continent—particularly in West Africa—facilitating money laundering, drug trafficking, sanctions evasion, and the abuse of diplomatic protections such as the honorary consul system.

Dr. Matthew Levitt, report co-author and Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute said: 
“Hezbollah’s presence in Africa is long-standing and deeply embedded and has now reached a tipping point—but it’s not about launching physical attacks. It’s about raising money. The group exploits fragile financial systems, corrupt political connections, and legal loopholes—like the abuse of honorary consul appointments—to run a sprawling network of money laundering, drug smuggling, and sanctions evasion. These operations aren’t peripheral—they are central to Hezbollah’s global financing strategy and are now paying off. For too long these networks have been allowed to operate with impunity, and West African nations now face a major challenge if they are to be dismantled.”

These activities are coordinated by senior Hezbollah representatives and facilitated by powerful financiers operating across Lebanon, West Africa, and Europe. Some of the most prolific networks have ties to gold and diamond smuggling, narcotics proceeds, and sanctioned businesses, according to multiple U.S. government investigations cited in the report.

Wagner Group/Africa Corps: Security Through Brutality

The report also details how the Russian Wagner Group and its successor, the Africa Corps, have increasingly entrenched themselves in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger through formal security agreements that mask state-sanctioned violence and human rights abuses.

In several documented cases, Wagner’s actions—including mass civilian killings—have played directly into the hands of Islamist terrorist groups, strengthening local insurgencies rather than defeating them.

John Lechner, co-author and investigative journalist said: 
“Wagner’s operations in Mali weren’t just ineffective—they were destructive. Their counterterrorism efforts relied on indiscriminate violence, mass executions, and a complete disregard for local dynamics. That brutality not only alienated civilians but actively drove recruitment by Islamist groups like JNIM and IS-GS, who positioned themselves as defenders of targeted communities. These failures are not isolated—they reveal a wider pattern of how Russian military contractors inflame the very instability they claim to solve. With Africa Corps, more independent-minded assault detachment commanders were removed, and a more rigid, risk-averse bureaucracy is now expected to take Wagner’s place.”

The report warns that Russian involvement in Africa have continued since the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, and as Moscow adapts its strategy through the more formal Africa Corps structure. It also notes that multipolarity in Africa is a reality, with countries in the region actively seeking new international partners—including malign ones.

Policy Recommendations: A Shrinking Window for Action

The authors call for urgent European and German engagement to stem the influence of these actors by:

• Expanding law enforcement cooperation and capacity-building;
• Supporting anti-money laundering and counter-terror finance frameworks;
• Tightening regulation of the honorary consul system;
• Encouraging joined initiatives with non-traditional partners such as India or Turkey;
• And moving toward a full EU designation of Hezbollah to unlock legal tools for financial disruption.

Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director at the Counter Extremism Project said: 
“What we are witnessing in West Africa today is a quiet collapse—a slow-motion breakdown of governance, security, and trust, driven by violent non-state actors who operate with near-total impunity. Hezbollah and Wagner aren’t just exploiting instability; they’re actively deepening it, using corruption, coercion, and violence to expand their influence. This erosion of regional resilience is no longer a local or African issue—it’s a global security risk. The international community, and Europe in particular, cannot afford to look away. The window for meaningful engagement is closing fast, and the cost of inaction will be measured in prolonged conflict, deepened poverty, and emboldened malign actors.”

To read the full report, click here.