Criminality

MEA RISK’s SHIELD & ALERT notifications: Access requires installing Shield & Alert mobile application. More info on S&A here or click here to signup and install

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

A rival jihadist war may be heating up in the Sahel, and Niger could be the place where the conflict could turn into a major strategic contest. The latest reporting and claims suggest that the rivalry between JNIM, the al-Qaeda-aligned network, and the Islamic State...

The Nigeria Precedent: Why Degrading One Group Won’t Secure Mali$

Since late December 2025, US Africa Command has been conducting airstrikes in northern Nigeria alongside the Nigerian military, targeting ISWAP and Boko Haram fighters. The campaign escalated in May 2026 into a joint offensive combining special forces raids with...

Sahel: How Gold and Jihadist Violence Are Redrawing the Guinea-Mali Border$

Along the border between Guinea and Mali, two forces are reshaping the landscape: armed jihadist groups pushing south from the Sahel, and a rapidly expanding gold economy that reaches from small riverside pits to industrial mines. Together, they are transforming...

Behind the Algeria-Mali Rapprochement: Security, Trade and a Sahel Reorder$

For 15 months, Algeria and Mali were locked in a diplomatic standoff that froze airspace, stalled ambassadorial contacts, and deepened mistrust over how to handle the war in the Sahel. In early July, Bamako and Algiers jointly moved to restore relations, with the...

North Africa and the Sahel on Alert Over Locust Upsurge$

An upsurge of desert locusts is taking shape in Northwest Africa, with Morocco currently facing the highest pressure while Algeria, Mauritania, and Sahel countries prepare for possible summer migrations. Recent reports from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization...

Mali’s Jihadist-Separatist Alliance Pushes Toward Anéfis as Fighting Enters Its Sixth Day$

A jihadist-separatist alliance has opened a new front in northern Mali, ambushing a Malian-Russian convoy near Anéfis and pushing to seize the strategic town, while Bamako continues to insist its forces retain control even as fighting has spread to Gao, Sévaré, Konna,...

Mali’s Airports Are Battling a Flow of CocaineF

Mali’s airports, from the bustling hub in Bamako to smaller regional ones, have become a key front in the battle against the flood of cocaine pouring into West Africa. While international help and modern tools like AI and trained dogs have led to some big busts, things aren’t easy.

Mauritania: Ex-President Verdict Puts Mauritania’s Legal System Under SpotlightF

Mauritania’s high-profile corruption trial of former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz has sparked a bigger conversation across West Africa, as his 15-year prison sentence has drawn widespread attention—not just for the verdict itself, but for what it reveals about how justice works in Mauritania.

Moroccan Truck Drivers and Spanish Tourists Freed After Kidnapping in Burkina Faso and Southern AlgeriaF

Four Moroccan truck drivers and a Spanish national kidnapped in the Sahel were freed this week, with both now safe under protection.

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

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),...

No Results Found

The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.