Criminality – The North Africa Journal

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Mining Standoffs in the Sahel: Two Companies in the Midst of a Foreign Investor Crisis

By Arezki Daoud - Foreign mining companies in the #Sahel are experiencing a nightmare scenario. Escalating tensions in the region are being experienced by two major disputes highlighting several intersecting factors that include control of natural resources, economic...

Burkina Faso: Junta Chief Dismisses Prime Minister, Replaces him with Loyalist ex-Journalist

Photo of Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo Burkina Faso has a new Prime Minister, after the December 6, 2024, ousting by junta chief Captain Ibrahim Traoré, of Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela. The following day, Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo was appointed Prime...

Sahel: Inside Chad’s Risky Alliance in Sudan’s Conflict

Chadian President Mahamat Déby’s support for Sudan’s Hemedti amid the Sudanese conflict has sparked tension at home, risking political instability and opposition within Chad’s military and ruling elite. [am4show have='p1;p2;p4;' guest_error='subsribe now'...

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 industry’s landscape in the region. The Sahel has always attracted entrepreneurial companies from far away Canada, Australia, Russia, South Africa and...

The US Africa Policy: Don’t Expect Anything New

Africa has been a low priority for virtually all US administrations, be they republicans or democrats. It is true that Donald Trump has been more belligerent and vocal about his positions on Africa, but even Democrats have shown no interest in playing a more effective...

Sahel: A Primer on the Northern Mali Crisis

Northern Mali has always been a region of turmoil, and the responsibility for the misery there starts with the central government in Bamako. Violence, social, economic and environmental turmoil has hit the people of the Azawad region hard, deeply affecting the Tuareg,...

Sahel: Wagner Group closes in on Mali’s N’Tillit gold mine

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso share a common border. GPS coordinates [14.9143, 0.2424] are where the three countries meet, and this is an area where terrorism and instability reign supreme. Insurgent groups have proliferated, attacking on one side of the border(s),...

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 Libya, local authorities have said in a statement. The network, led by a Libyan man, was mining four large sites in the southern desert, said the...

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 in prison for having abused his position to amass an ill-gotten fortune. Aziz, who ruled the pivotal country between North Africa and sub-Saharan...

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 commission to recover public assets. Niger's military took power on July 26, toppling democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum. The military chiefs...