Former NSA deputy director warns against ransom payments, calls West Africa “global epicenter” of terrorism

Published: February 12, 2026

MONROVIA — Former Deputy Director of Liberia’s National Security Agency Sam Saryon has cautioned West African governments against negotiating with terrorist groups or paying ransom, arguing that such payments finance extremist expansion and weaken state authority.

Speaking in a weekend interview on West Africa Democracy Radio (WADR), Saryon said ransom payments have become a primary revenue stream for armed groups operating across Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mali.

“It is not okay to negotiate with terrorists,” Saryon said. “The ransom that is paid fuels them. It enables them. They then upgrade.”

Saryon described kidnapping and banditry as increasingly structured economic enterprises.

“If we continue to negotiate, this ransom money fuels them to manage territory and pay members,” he said. “Once this money keeps going to them, they wouldn’t stop.”

He argued that high unemployment and weak state presence in parts of West Africa create conditions conducive to recruitment.

“When people believe these groups are generating funds, joining them becomes an alternative form of employment,” he said.

Security analysts have noted that kidnapping-for-ransom has grown significantly across the Sahel and parts of coastal West Africa, though governments vary in their official policies on negotiation.

Saryon said the long-term solution lies in strengthening intelligence services rather than financing armed groups through concessions.

“Intelligence is money,” he said. “When intelligence agencies request funding, people question it. But operations require resources.”

He contended that terrorist networks often embed financial intermediaries within communities and commercial sectors, facilitating ransom transfers and money laundering.

“Intelligence must identify and dismantle those networks,” he said.

Drawing from what he described as 18 years of involvement in regional security operations, Saryon criticized what he characterized as inconsistent approaches to hostage negotiations.

“When kidnapping happens in Western countries, they don’t negotiate domestically,” he said. “But in Africa, in our region, money is often paid.”

He referenced past ransom payments involving European governments in North Africa, arguing that such transactions historically strengthened extremist capabilities. Those governments have at times denied directly paying ransom, though mediation efforts have been widely reported.

In a subsequent Facebook post, Saryon described West Africa as a “global epicenter” of terrorism, citing data indicating that the region now accounts for a significant share of global terrorism-related fatalities.

Independent security assessments, including reports by international monitoring organizations, have documented rising extremist violence in the Sahel in recent years, driven by insurgent expansion, political instability and military coups.

“The lack of resources for security forces, combined with weak governance, leaves populations vulnerable to violent extremism,” Saryon wrote.

Governments across West Africa face complex choices when dealing with hostage situations, balancing humanitarian concerns against the risk of incentivizing further kidnappings.

While some states publicly maintain no-ransom policies, enforcement varies, and families and intermediaries often negotiate independently.