A rise in the number of attacks by jihadists in West Africa has led to growing concerns over French military involvement in the region. French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Niger this weekend to address these issues and to pay his respects following the recent loss of both French and local soldiers in military operations. The current French operation has been running since 2014, co-ordinating on security issues with Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad. They are fighting a complex web of jihadist groups that Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou has described as having become "professionals in the art of war". An attack by jihadists on an army base earlier this month led to the deaths of more than 70 soldiers in Niger. In November, 13 French troops died in a helicopter collision during an operation against jihadists in Mali, the biggest single loss of life for the French military since the 1980s. Regional leaders have called for more international support to tackle the militants but there has also been rising anti-French sentiment and protests in some cities in the region.

A complex web of militant groups

The Sahel, the vast semi-desert region that stretches across West Africa, is home to numerous al-Qaeda and Islamic State-aligned groups. There are also ethnically-based local militias operating, some fighting against and others alongside French and national forces. Counter-terrorism efforts have had some success, removing jihadist commanders and stifling some militant operations. But the situation does appear to be becoming increasingly unstable.

Niger's growing insecurity

The number of fatalities relating to jihadist militant groups 2019 data is up until 7 December. Source: ACLED In Niger, there has been a sharp rise in attacks by militants this year. And in neighbouring Mali, a counter-insurgency operation, launched in 2014 and supported by French forces, has proved largely ineffective in its efforts to tackle widespread insecurity. The number of fatalities involving clashes between the Malian security forces and jihadist groups has more than doubled over the past year, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (Acled), a group that monitors political violence. Main jihadist groups:

• Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) - an alliance of jihadist groups, active throughout the Sahel region

• The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) - affiliated to IS, active in north-east Mali

• Ansarul Islam - active in northern Burkina Faso

• Boko Haram - present in north-eastern Nigeria, Niger, Chad and northern Cameroon

Most countries in the region have suffered increasing numbers of deaths among civilians, military, jihadists and communal groups. "The surge in attacks is attributable to the JNIM and ISGS's growing capacity, especially their aptitude for sowing divisions between Sahelian communities," says Judd Devermont, director of the Africa programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). "They are also adept at exploiting regional government mistakes, including human-rights abuses and a failure to invest in these vulnerable communities," he says.

Conflict in the Sahel

The number of total fatalities