Kidnapping for ransom has long fueled insurgencies in the west African Sahel. New analysis of 58,000 violent events shows a shift: jihadist groups once targeted westerners but now they increasingly abduct local civilians, turning kidnapping into a widespread predatory economy.

The Conversation

Kidnapping for ransom in the Sahel: analysis of 24 years of data shows a new trend

The kidnapping industry fuels insurgencies in Africa’s Sahel region.