A range of factors — such as the region's history, geography, politics, and economy— has been identified as playing a role in the emergence of violent extremism in the Sahel and West Africa. Violent extremism refers to any uncompromising doctrine whose followers reject all moderation or any alternative contrary to their philosophy. For the record, this extremism can take several forms, including political, economic, social, or religious. After the wave of independence movements in 1960, several African nations found themselves having to govern their own affairs before a democratic system could be established. However, they had not foreseen that various forms of extremism, resulting from various factors such as the diversity of religions and ethnicities in the region, would pose a challenge to peaceful coexistence. In fact, Africa is home to over 2,000 ethnic groups. Violent extremism is often characterised “by a linguistic deviation,” explains the Secretary General of the Consultation Framework of Religious Confessions in Benin, Michel Alopko, in an interview with Global Voices (GV) about the responsibility of religious leaders in the fight against violent extremism. Various groups — whether they are religious, political, environmental, ethno-nationalist — can all leadto violent extremism. According to Professor Jocelyn Bélanger, an expert on radicalisation processes, “The main factor that incites a person to associate with a radical group is social pain.” Therefore, in the process of violent radicalisation, the ideology arises only after the stage of commitment. According to Bélanger, “Traditional religious education is even a counter-indicator” in the process of radicalisation. In the Sahel, many factors may contribute to the emergence and spread of violent extremism: for instance the marginalisation of certain ethnic groups in relation to others, inequality, discrimination, the misinterpretation of religious precepts, particularly in Islam and Christianity, the mismanagement of public resources, corruption, the denial of civil rights and liberties, limited employment prospects, and insufficient means of livelihood. The current Secretary General of the United Nations argues through a tweet that several factors may contribute to the expansion of terrorism: « Le terrorisme restreint son emprise en traquant et en exploitant les faiblesses et l'instabilité des systèmes politiques, économiques et sécuritaires ». — @antonioguterres s'aide sur la lutte contre le terrorisme et la prévention de l'extrémisme violent. https://t.co/zwS8srnL2c pic.twitter.com/Wo7KEZV61G — Nations Unies (ONU) (@ONU_fr) 29 mars 2023 “Terrorism gains a foothold by exploiting the vulnerabilities and instabilities present within political, economic, and security systems.” @antonioguterres focuses on the fight against terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism. https://t.co/zwS8srnL2c pic.twitter.com/Wo7KEZV61G —Nations Unies (ONU) (@ONU_fr) 29 March 2023 In this other tweet, the activist Jeunesse Wakanda shares their opinion on the correlation between religion and violent extremism: Ce qui était valide en août 2018 dans ces images, l'est toujours aujourd'hui. L'extrémisme violent est une notion qu'on nous a parachuté car la religion en Afrique est pacifique. pic.twitter.com/xzHvpq3REr — Jeunesse Wakanda #Afrique #Soutien 💝🌍💪🏼 💖(@JeunesseWakanda) 15 juin 2020 The feelings expressed in these images, from August 2018, are as valid today as they were then. Violent extremism is a notion that has been imposed on us because religion in Africa is peaceful. pic.twitter.com/xzHvpq3REr – Jeunesse Wakanda #Afrique #Soutien (@JeunesseWakanda) 15 juin 2020 According to the former Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, violent extremism is not limited to any specific religion. L'extrémisme violent n'est pas l'apanage d'une religion en particulier, selon Ban Ki-moon https://t.co/STba6i1Ehv pic.twitter.com/tcX51Gdzxe — Nations Unies (ONU) (@ONU_fr) 10 avril 2016 Violent extremism is not limited to any specific religion, according to Ban Ki-moon https://t.co/STba6i1Ehv pic.twitter.com/tcX51Gdzxe —Nations Unies (ONU) (@ONU_fr) 10 April 2016 Religion plays a significant role in many African societies. In the Sahel and West Africa, which had a population estimated to be over 920 million in mid-2014, Islam surpasses Christianity as the main religion. In her speech at the UN Security Council’s Arria-formula meeting in April 2018, Anne Gueguen, former Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations, emphasised that, given the direct link between believers and religious leaders, the latter play a crucial role in preventing violent extremism, protecting civilians, and promoting reconciliation.