The use of drones in the Sahel, a region of Africa that has been plagued by violence driven by jihadist insurgency for much of the past decade, has become a real problem. In April, for example, Al Qaeda's affiliate in the Sahel, Jama'at Nusrat al Islam wa al Muslimeen, reportedly carried out an attack against a rival militia using drones modified with grenades and mortars in central Mali.

But even more concerning is the fact that their AI-powered variants, which are known as lethal autonomous weapons systems (Laws), have been deployed in Africa in recent years. Laws are a special class of weapons system that can conduct surveillance, select targets and carry out attacks autonomously.

There are worries that these weapons could fall into the hands of terrorist groups if their deployment in Africa is scaled up. Several advanced drones have already been lost in counter-terrorism operations both on the continent and elsewhere, due to technical error or insurgent attack.

The US reportedly lost three MQ-9 Reaper drones to the Houthis in Yemen in May 2024, and MQ-1 Predator drones in Libya and Niger in November 2019 and February 2023 respectively.

more ...