More than 3,300 people have fled northern Mali over the past month, crossing into Mauritania to escape escalating violence and severe disruptions to daily life. The displacement highlights the continued deterioration of security conditions in Mali’s northern regions...
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Mauritania Arrests Anti‑Corruption Figure Mohamed Ould Gadda
Mauritanian authorities have arrested former senator Mohamed Ould Gadda, now heading the anti‑corruption NGO “Transparence Totale,” in a move that has drawn criticism from parliamentarians and opposition figures over due‑process guarantees and the treatment of...
Sahel: French Special Forces Accused of Direct Role in Benin Coup Response
A recent account by the head of Benin’s Republican Guard alleged that France played a role in an attempted coup in Benin, triggering a legal and political debate in Paris. In an interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI), Colonel Dieudonné Djimon Tévoédjrè...
Niger Moves Uranium From SOMAÏR Mine Despite Arbitration Ruling
Niger’s decision to move uranium from a disputed mine in the country’s north is deepening its confrontation with French nuclear group Orano and raising fresh questions about security and safety in the Sahel’s conflict‑affected transport corridors. Disputed shipment...
Benin Soldiers Mount Brief Coup Attempt
Benin’s government says it has put down a brief but serious military uprising after soldiers appeared on state television on December 7 claiming to remove President Patrice Talon from power and suspend the constitution. The confrontation lasted only a few hours before...
Mauritania: Medical Equipment Contract Controversy Deepens in Mauritania
A medical procurement deal in Mauritania has turned into a governance controversy, after an investigation by independent outlet Alakhbar alleged serious irregularities in how the military managed a multimillion‑euro contract to equip public hospitals. Instead of...
Sahel: Drone Incident Escalates Diplomatic Rift on Algeria–Mali Border
The diplomatic crisis between Algeria and Mali, long simmering over border security and regional influence, escalated...
Extraction Without Value: Mali’s Role in the Global Lithium Rush
By Mohamed AG Ahmedou, via MondAfrique: Mali’s strategic resources are a formidable source of enrichment for Beijing,...
Turkey: Erdogan’s Winning Strategy in Africa
Despite the wave of coups d'état in West Africa, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had close ties to the...
Criminality: Drug gang war leaves 10 dead in northern Niger
Niamey, June 22, 2020 - Clashes between rival drug runners left at least 10 dead last week in northern Niger near the...
Mali: Mass rally in Bamako to demand resignation of president
Bamako, June 19, 2020 (By Amaury Hauchard, Serge Daniel and Kassim Traore) - Tens of thousands of people rallied in...
Mali braces for mass protest despite presidential call for talks with opposition
Bamako, June 17, 2020 (By Kassim Traore) - Malian opposition leader Mahmoud Dicko on Wednesday urged people to protest...
Sahel: Rights group accuses Niger of ‘war crime’ in the execution of alleged Boko Haram fighters
Abidjan, June 12, 2020 - Human Rights Watch on Friday described as a "war crime" the summary execution of two alleged...
Mali: Two UN troops killed in attack in Tarkint
Bamako, June 14, 2020 - Gunmen have killed two UN peacekeepers in a region of northwestern Mali wracked by jihadist...
Mali’s beleaguered president says he is open to talks with opposition
Bamako, June 14, 2020 - Mali's beleaguered President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, made overtures on Sunday to the...
Sahel: Week after death of Jihadist leader, insurgents ambush troops in central Mali, kill dozens
Bamako, June 15, 2020 - Around 40 Malian troops were dead or listed as missing after their convoy was ambushed in...
Insurgencies: New details on the elimination of AQIM’s leader
Paris, June 11, 2020 (By Didier Lauras) (Photo: Wikipedia fair use) - In a desert wilderness in Mali, close to the...
Beyond the Sahel: Jihadi contagion spreads to the Ivory Coast
Korhogo, Ivory Coast, June 11, 2020 - Dozens of suspected jihadists attacked a frontier post on Ivory Coast's border...
Sahel: Government forces sowing terror in the Sahel
Bamako, June 10, 2020 - Amnesty International on Wednesday accused armies in Africa's sprawling Sahel region of...
Sahel: Chad ruler Deby delays national assembly election for fifth time since 2015, his party stays in power
N'Djamena, June 9, 2020 - Chad's repeatedly delayed legislative elections set for December this year have been...
Sahel: The who’s who of foreign forces in the Sahel
French troops who killed senior Al Qaeda leader Abdelmalek Droukdel in the Sahel region of Africa this week work...
Sahel: With Droukdel dead, here’s Al-Qaeda/IS’ trio of leaders to watch
Three leaders have been left dominating the jihadist insurgency in the Sahel, following the death of a top al-Qaeda...
Mali: Religious leader takes center stage in Mali political crisis
Officials from the UN, West Africa and the African Union (AU) have met an influential Muslim cleric behind...
Chad: French troops wounded in N’Djamena shooting
Paris, June 9, 2020 - Two French soldiers were shot and wounded Tuesday near the Chadian presidential palace in the...
Mali: Four inmates die in prison riot in Bamako
Four prisoners in Mali's capital Bamako have died after a "mutiny" which saw inmates break out of their cells and...
Sahel: Growing concern over soldiers’ misconduct in the Sahel
By Amaury Hauchard: Accusations of alleged forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings are mounting against...
Insurgency: France claims it killed Al-Qaeda’s Droukdel, arrests ISIS commander
French forces have killed the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Algerian Abdelmalek Droukdel, in northern...
Famine in Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou, June 4, 2020 - More than a tenth of the population in Burkina Faso, a drought-stricken West African...
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...
Niger: Attack on IDP camp in west Niger prompts thousands of refugees to flee
Niamey, June 3, 2020 - Thousands of people have fled a camp hosting 20,000 Malian refugees in western Niger after a...
Mali: Teachers in Mali say school reopening without proper protection, go on strike
Bamako, June 2, 2020 - Teachers in the West African state of Mali went on strike Tuesday, the first day schools...
Burkina Faso: Insurgents ambush vendors in Loroum, kill 15
At least 15 civilians have been killed in northern Burkina Faso during an attack attributed to jihadists, the...
Niger: Refugee camp in the Tahoua attacked, three killed
Jihadists carried out a coordinated attack on a camp housing thousands of Malian refugees in western Niger, killing...
Sahel Podcast: Covid-19, the insurgency and the brutality of government forces
In this latest brief podcast, MEA Risk's Arezki Daoud addresses the issues of instability and security in the Sahel,...
Burkina Faso: More violence in Houet, two gendarmes killed
Ouagadougou, May 25, 2020 - Two policemen have been killed in a fresh attack in the Sahel state of Burkina Faso, which...
Outlook: Can the country of Togo be a Jihadi hotspot?
Dapaong, Togo, May 21, 2020 (By Célia Lebur) - In a makeshift bunker of sacks of rice beneath a tree, heavily-armed...
Burkina Faso: Rights group wants investigation into extra-judicial killings
Ouagadougou, May 20, 2020 - Human Rights Watch called Wednesday on the Burkina Faso authorities to hold an...
Burkina Faso: Al-Qaeda-affiliate claims responsibility for attack in Loroum
Ouagadougou, May 20, 2020 - Two Burkina Faso soldiers and five civilian defence volunteers have been killed during an...
Mali: Bus crash kills 20 people near Narena
Bamako, May 20, 2020 - Twenty people have been killed and 11 seriously injured after a minibus and a lorry collided in...
Burkina Faso kills dozens of alleged insurgents in Kossi province
Ouagadougou, May 20, 2020 - Two Burkina Faso police and 47 "terrorists" died during a major operation in northwestern...
Niger: Insurgents attack Blabrine base near Diffa town
Niamey, May 19, 2020 - Twelve soldiers have been killed in a Boko Haram attack on a military outpost in Niger's Diffa...
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...





























