Despite the wave of coups d'état in West Africa, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had close ties to the ousted regimes of Guinea, Mali, and Niger, has successfully protected his country's interests in the region. He has done so through a strategy that...
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The Human Cost of the EU-Mauritania Migration Partnership
Since early 2024, the Mauritanian government has intensified its enforcement operations against undocumented sub-Saharan migrants in Nouakchott, Nouadhibou, and other urban centers. This campaign, which includes increased checkpoints and arrests, is a direct...
Geopolitics: Religion, Oil, and Minerals are Now Washington’s Africa Strategy
Under Donald Trump, US Africa policy is zeroing in on oil and mineral wealth while using evangelical networks as a back channel into Central Africa — offering political cover to leaders and countering Chinese and Russian influence where Catholic voices are more...
Protests Erupt as Water Shortage Grips Mauritania
Opposition lawmakers in Mauritania staged a sit-in at the Ministry of Water to protest a two-week-long water shortage in the capital. The demonstration, which included a demand for the immediate resignation of the Water Minister, comes amid growing public frustration...
Ivory Coast Edges Toward Political Flashpoint Ahead of 2025 Election
Rising tensions, legacy rivalries, and fears of renewed violence loom over a fragile democracy. With just months to go before Côte d’Ivoire’s presidential election, the political atmosphere is growing tense—perhaps dangerously so. Both the ruling party and the...
Niger Deepens Strategic Ties with Russia After Break from France
Civil nuclear cooperation and uranium development signal a shift in Niamey's global posture In a development that further signals Niger’s departure from its traditional Western orbit, Niamey hosted a high-level Russian delegation on July 28, 2025, led by Russian...

Sahel: Foreign Mining Firms Face Growing Risks as Juntas Assert Control Over Resources
Mining companies that have been operating in the Sahel for a long time are now experiencing a tectonic shift in their...

Libya: Illegal gold mining network dismantled, foreign nationals arrested
An illegal gold mining network, comprised of Chinese, Chadian, and Nigerien nationals, has been dismantled in southern...

Sahel: Mauritania sends ex-president Ould Abdelaziz to prison for corruption
A court in Mauritania's capital Nouakchott on Monday sentenced former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to five years...
Niger junta creates anti-corruption commission
The military regime in Niger that seized power in a coup said late Wednesday it has created an anti-corruption...
Mauritania: Ex President Ould Abdel Aziz to face corruption trial
Mauritania's disgraced ex-president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, has been released from custody pending a trial on...
Mauritania arrests former president Ould Abdel Aziz for alleged corruption
Mauritania's former president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, was on Tuesday jailed after a judge in charge of a corruption...
Mauritania: Ex-President Ould Abdel Aziz facing tough corruption charges
By Hademine Ould Sadi - A Mauritanian state prosecutor on Thursday requested corruption charges against former...
Sahel: Chad’s ex oil Minister Le Bemadjiel arrested on corruption charges
N'Djamena - Chad's former oil minister was in custody on Thursday following his arrest for allegedly stealing public...
Former Mauritanian president under investigation for alleged embezzlement
Nouakchott, Aug 18, 2020 - Former Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, under suspicion over embezzlement...
Sahel: Chad’s dictator Idriss Deby gets a new title: “Maréchal du Tchad”
N'Djamena, Aug 11, 2020 - Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno was named a marshal, the first in his country's history,...
Sahel: Government reshuffle in Mauritania
Nouakchott, Aug 6, 2020 - Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani on Thursday carried out a government...
Sahel: Tense situation in Mali after two people were killed
Bamako, July 11, 2020 - Tensions ran high in Mali Saturday, a day after deadly mass protests seeking the ouster of the...
Burkina Faso: From favored tourist destination to a hotbed of terrorism
By Armel Baily with Patrick Fort in Abidjan: Little more than five years ago, Burkina Faso was on the up, priding...
Niger: Concern over fraud in defense purchasing
Niamey, June 23, 2020 - Niger's state prosecutor on Tuesday reported evidence of fraud and other crimes in a military...
Sahel: Growing concern over soldiers’ misconduct in the Sahel
By Amaury Hauchard: Accusations of alleged forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings are mounting against...
Sahel: The people of Mali launch their anti-regime Hirak movement
Tens of thousands of people rallied in Mali's capital Bamako on Friday demanding the departure of President Ibrahim...
Mali: Anger in Bamako over arrest of anti-corruption activist Clement Dembele
Bamako, May 19, 2020 - About one hundred people took to the streets in Mali's capital Bamako on Tuesday to protest the...