Written By: Paula Muresan
Supervised By: Finn Seiffert, Élea Huguet
Edited By: Edoardo Dall’Amico
ABSTRACT
The proliferation of drone technology among non-state actors in the Sahel represents an emerging security challenge for the European Union. This paper argues that the transfer of knowledge and operational expertise from Middle East (ME) armed groups to jihadist organisations in the Sahel is reshaping regional conflict dynamics with direct implications for European security. Drawing on the cases of JNIM and ISWAP, the paper traces how this capability has been absorbed and operationalised across the region. It then assesses the EU’s response, arguing that institutional fragmentation and strategic incoherence have left Europe ill-equipped to address a threat that is already, in part, on its soil.
