Mali Bound

Sahel: Qatar helps dissipate diplomatic tensions between Mali and AlgeriaF

The North Africa Journal - Qatar has demonstrated its diplomatic skills in the Middle East crisis but it has also been quietly active in other regions, such as helping reduce tensions between Mali and Algeria. To recall, the Malian government expressed its anger at...

Sahel: Kidnapped in Libya in 2017, South African medic released this week in MaliF

A South African paramedic who had been held by jihadists in Mali for over six years has been released, security and humanitarian sources told AFP on Sunday. Gerco van Deventer, 48, was kidnapped in Libya on November 3, 2017, on his way to a power plant construction...

Rising Storms: The Pact Uniting Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Against Jihadists and IsolationF

The military rulers of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have banded together in a joint defence pact to fight jihadists and present a united political front in their declared aim to restore sovereignty. Against a backdrop of a bloody jihadist insurgency in West Africa's...

Mali: The taking of Kidal: Why the town in north Mali is so importantF

Mali's army has retaken the town of Kidal from Tuareg-dominated rebels. Here we look at the significance of the place which has for years been a northern stronghold for the separatists. - Where and what is Kidal? - Kidal occupies a special place in the geography and...