Over the past five years, the Sahel region has seen a steady rise and geographical spread in the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), a term used to describe an explosive device placed or fabricated in an improvised manner.1 In the Sahel, these devices are mainly used to target security forces. However, they also put civilians in danger.
Across the region, IEDs are most often placed along roads and routes used by security forces. However, civilians use the same roads, which means they are also exposed to the risk. Most devices target vehicles or infrastructure. The repeated use of the same routes, both by military and civilians, means that areas can remain dangerous over long periods.