International News

Sahel Lithium Conflict

August 22 , 2026 1 hrs 0 min 6 0

Growing lithium extraction in Africa’s Sahel region is creating opportunities for armed groups to profit from the mineral trade.
Lithium is important for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, smartphones and renewable energy storage, increasing global demand for the mineral.
Armed groups in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Nigeria are exploiting weak governance, informal mining and cross-border smuggling to raise revenue.
The study found that groups can tax miners, traders and transporters and control access to mining areas.
Stronger mining regulation, mineral-tracking systems and domestic lithium processing are needed to prevent lithium revenues from financing conflicts.