Sahel

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Mali junta ends Algiers AgreementF

The ruling junta in Mali announced, on Thursday 25 January, the "end, with immediate effect", of the Algiers agreement signed in 2015 with the pro-autonomy and independence groups based in the north of the country. Long considered essential for stabilizing the...

Sahel: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger Announce Withdrawal from ECOWAS BlocF

In a significant development, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have decided to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS, following a prolonged disagreement over ECOWAS's rejection of military rule in West Africa. The Sahel nations, Burkina...

Sahel: Wagner Group and Mali army engaging in mass murder and forced displacement of northern populationsF

The Wagner Group is wracking havoc in northern Mali, with actions that hint on ongoing efforts to depopulate the region. Human rights abuses against local population are being committed by both the Malian national army and its Russian contractors from the Wagner...

Russia-Africa: From weapon sales to economic tiesF

By Arezki Daoud: Has the war in Ukraine deter Russia from engagement in Africa? Certainly not! We know on the security front, a growing number of African states are turning to Russia to supply them with military equipment and security services, judging by the...

Sahel: Russia to experience boost of its influence in the SahelF

By Arezki Daoud: Russia’s influence in the Sahel is about to expand further with more cooperation deals announced by Niger and Russia during the ongoing visit to Moscow of Niger’s Prime Minister and other senior officials. Speaking to Russian media, Niger’s Defense...

How Sahel populations reject ECOWAS ($)$

The West African group of ECOWAS is supposed to play the role of mediator in regional crises, with a combination of a stick-and-carrot strategy. Regional leaders should be busy intervening constructively to prevent crises and propose remediation steps. However, as in...

Sahel: Niger president says weapons from Libya fuel violence in SahelF

Niger President Mohamed Bazoum on Monday urged his country's allies to step up the fight against arms trafficking from Libya, which he said is fuelling the Sahel's jihadist insurgency. "The partners' biggest failure has been their weak involvement in the fight against...

Sahel: Gunmen kill seven former rebels in northern MaliF

Seven former rebels were killed in northern Mali overnight, a spokesman of the group, the Coordination of Movements of Azawad (CMA), said Monday. The alliance made up mainly of separatist Tuaregs and nationalist Arabs signed an accord with the national government in...

Sahel: Attack on bus in Mopti, Mali claims dozens of civilian livesF

Suspected jihadists in Mali killed at least 30 civilians in an attack on a passenger vehicle in the volatile central town of Mopti, local officials said Saturday. "The passengers were sprayed with bullets and the vehicle was torched," during an attack by "terrorists"...

Sahel: Disasters hit Niger hardF

By Boureima Hama Few countries in the world struggle with as many burdens as Niger. The arid Sahel state is the world's poorest country according to the UN's Human Development Index. It faces bloody jihadist insurgencies on two of its borders. And now it is being...