Mali Bound

France could back talks with some jihadist elements in Africa's restive Sahel region, a source in President Emmanuel Macron's office said on Monday. A dialogue with some elements of the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) would be "possible", the source said,...

Hopes that soldiers behind Mali's coup would swiftly restore civilian rule and tackle jihadism and ethnic violence are fading fast as the army expands its role. Many in the large Sahel country hailed the August 18 putsch as the precursor of a "new Mali" -- a nation...

Several "suspected terrorists" were arrested and more than 40,000 sticks of dynamite and detonator cords for illegal gold mining  -- a new source of funding for armed groups in the Sahel -- were seized in a joint operation with the UN, Interpol said on Monday. Jointly...

Three years ago West African nations launched a joint force touted as a giant's stride in the fight against Islamist militants sweeping across the Sahel. But lack of equipment, funds and training, together with problems in deployment and coordination on the ground,...