From Mali to Chad, Starlink kits have increasingly become part of the equipment used by jihadist and rebel groups. Over the past two years, numerous videos and images have circulated on social media, showing the armed groups using the satellite internet system created by billionaire Elon Musk. The hardware, recognizable by its white satellite dish mounted on a tripod, appeared in June 2024 in a video released by the Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, during an operation in the Gao region of eastern Mali against the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA).

In a risk analysis bulletin published on May 12, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC, a network of experts) confirmed that groups such as JNIM and ISWA are "exploiting the portable, high-speed connectivity [of Starlink] to enhance their operations." According to Nigerien security forces, Starlink devices have also been seized during counterterrorism operations in the Tillabéri and Tahoua regions in western Niger.

The Starlink network operates even in the most remote corners of the globe thanks to its constellation of telecommunications satellites – 8,800 in total, according to a count in early June – that orbit the Earth at low altitude. According to the company, Starlink is officially active in 20 out of 54 African countries, including Nigeria since 2023 and Niger since March 2025. Unlike traditional land-based communications infrastructure, which covers only 37% of the continent, Starlink boasts nearly complete internet coverage thanks to its constantly moving satellites orbiting the planet.

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