Dec 8, 2025

Benin Soldiers Mount Brief Coup Attempt$

Analysis by The North Africa Journal

In the span of a few hours on December 7, a small group of soldiers in Benin, West Africa, moved from night‑time attacks on senior officers’ homes to a televized announcement claiming they had removed President Patrice Talon and suspended the constitution. Forces loyal to the government swiftly retook the national broadcaster and key positions in Cotonou, and authorities now say the coup attempt has been defeated even as some officers remain missing and questions about the mutineers’ support network persist.

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Sahel: Niger Emerges as Key Battleground as JNIM and Islamic State Collide$

by The North Africa Journal | Aug 5, 2026 | 111, Briefs, 1PREMIUM, Security & Defense, 1breaking, Niger, Terrorism, 1shorts, Sahel, Terrorism, Security, security upfront, Shield and Alert: Sahel

A defection, a blood feud, and overlapping territorial ambitions are pushing JNIM and the Islamic State Sahel Province into direct competition across western Niger. The outcome around the region of Dosso could determine whether Sahelian jihadist violence stays fragmented — or consolidates into a wider regional arc.

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by The North Africa Journal | Aug 3, 2026 | Politics, International, Social & Human Affairs, Unrest, 1shorts, 111, Immigration, 1PREMIUM, Maghreb, International politics, Immigration, politics upfront, Shield and Alert: Maghreb, Briefs, Human Rights, Morocco, Repression

The official death toll from a mass border crossing into the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta has risen to at least 72, but a rights group says it knows of 130 deaths and so many others missing. Morocco and Spain are facing growing pressure to explain how tens of thousands of people managed to force their way into European territory in a matter of days.

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Morocco is facing scrutiny on two fronts this summer: a corroborated investigation alleging systematic use of Pegasus spyware against journalists and foreign officials, and a fresh migrant surge into Ceuta that echoes the 2021 border crisis. Both developments draw scrutiny of Morocco from European governments and beyond, each for different reasons — one a question of covert surveillance, the other of border management under pressure.

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