Héni is ACLED’s West Africa Senior Analyst. He leads the conflict data collection and analysis for the Sahel. He is also the director of Menastream, a research and risk consultancy that provides intelligence analysis and tailored services.
His research interests and expertise center around insurgencies and their various dimensions, and non-state actors in Sahelian countries. In addition to his research activities, Héni is regularly consulted by the media, government agencies, and various organizations on security issues in the Sahel and North Africa.
Héni has over 15 years of experience in researching the broader MENA-region. He is the co-author of The Islamic State in Africa: The Emergence, Evolution, and Future of the Next Jihadist Battlefront (Hurst Publishers). His work and commentary have been published in the CTC Sentinel, African Affairs, ISPI, Le Monde, Jeune Afrique, The Guardian, TIME, and Al Jazeera, among others.
Spoken languages: English, French and Swedish Timezone: Central European Time - CET
In June 2025, anti-government demostrations surged in Kenya, a violence transition took place in Mali as Africa Corps replaced the Wagner Group, and communal violence contributed to surging fatalities in Benue state, Nigeria.
In May 2025, deadly separatist violence flared up in Cabinda, Angola; violence intensified in Tripoli after the death of the SSA commander; and JNIM captured provincial capitals in a step-change regional offensive in the Sahel.
In April 2025, a JNIM offensive drove a surge in violence to record levels in Benin, battles escalated amid President Kiir’s political reshuffling in South Sudan, and fatal battles took place in Somalia's Hirshabelle.
In March 2025, M23 and FARDC allies became increasingly active following the ceasefire agreement in the DRC, battles surged amid a Fano offensive in Ethiopia's Amhara region, and military airstrikes against insurgents in Nigeria's Borno state increased.
This report discusses jihadist expansion in the Benin-Niger-Nigeria borderlands, focusing on ISSP and JNIM strategies and impacts.
In March, deadly attacks against ethnic Fulani increased in CAR, an ISSP offensive contributed to a rise in fatalities in Niger, and the SAF captured numerous locations and strategic parts of Khartoum.
ACLED’s Senior West Africa Analyst, Héni Nsaibia, talks trends and details of foreigner kidnappings by the ISSP in the central Sahel region.
In this Q&A, Héni Nsaibia discusses the recent increase in kidnappings by ISSP in the Sahel region.
Watch ACLED analysts on Somalia, the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin, the Great Lakes region, and northern Mozambique, for another in-depth analysis of IS’s pivot to Africa and the evolving nature of African regional security.
The Islamic State is increasingly pivoting its operations toward Africa. Watch the recorded webinar for a deep dive with our experts as they examined IS’s expanding strongholds, providing insights into the actions of the group in five African regions.
Watch the recorded webinar examining the latest data behind the jihadist movements in Benin, Niger, and Nigeria and their impacts on the exposed population.
