AFRICOM warns: South American cocaine finances terrorism in West Africa

General Dagvin Anderson, commander of AFRICOM, warned the U.S. Senate about the growing links between drug trafficking and jihadist groups in West Africa, which accounted for over 51% of terrorism-related deaths in 2024. In September 2025, the French Navy seized 9.6 tons of cocaine in the Gulf of Guinea, highlighting the scale of drug trafficking in the region. Anderson also noted a 75% reduction in AFRICOM's presence, creating an 'intelligence black hole' in parts of the continent.