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...
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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...
Jihadist Expansion Threatens Coastal West Africa
The Sahel is confronting an intensifying insurgency that continues to evolve in scale and complexity. Armed groups such as the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) are adapting and adjusting their...
Mali’s Airports Are Battling a Flow of Cocaine
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,...
Mali’s Airports Are Battling a Flow of Cocaine
Mali's airports, from the bustling hub in Bamako to smaller regional ones, have become a key front in the battle...

Sahel: Russia Replaces Wagner in Mali Under Pressure from Algeria, Touaregs Brace
As Wagner withdraws from Mali, Russia is not stepping away, but it’s reshaping its presence there. Under quiet...

Ethnic Targeting in West Africa and Sahel: The Forgotten Plight of the Fulani
What’s happening to the Fulani in the Sahel isn’t just war — it’s collective punishment. This is the story no one...
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 ditches security arrangements with EU, engages more with Russia
Niger's military leaders said Monday that they were ending two European Union security and defence missions in the...
Mali: The taking of Kidal: Why the town in north Mali is so important
Mali's army has retaken the town of Kidal from Tuareg-dominated rebels. Here we look at the significance of the place...
Mali: Southern Malians celebrate army’s taking of northern city of Kidal
Jubilant Malians have taken to the streets and the ruling junta issued triumphant statements saying the military's...
Niger: UN resumes humanitarian flights in Niger
The United Nations said it resumed humanitarian flights in Niger on Wednesday, suspended after a July coup in the...
Sahel: Impoverished Niger now has oil but it needs to build a pipeline and circumvent sanctions to export it
The military leaders who took power in Niger this year have commissioned a giant pipeline that will carry crude oil to...
Sahel: As France’s presence in the Sahel deteriorates, US maintains ties and remains active
In a stark contrast to the declining French presence, the United States has displayed a robust commitment to the Sahel...
Niger braces for fresh EU sanctions
The European Union on Monday took a legal step towards imposing sanctions on Niger's new military rulers, who...
Sahel: Russia to build nuclear power plant in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso's junta-led government signed a deal with Russia on Friday for the construction of a nuclear power plant...
Mali: UN withdraws troops adding more instability to the region
UN peacekeepers in Mali announced Monday their pullout has started from two camps in the tense Kidal region, opening a...
Niger: Soldiers and insurgents killed in new clash near Burkina Faso border
Niger's military regime said Tuesday that six soldiers and 31 "terrorists" had been killed in fighting in a restive...
Niger ups pressure on UN to vacate the country
Niger's military leaders have ordered the United Nations coordinator to leave the country within 72 hours, blaming the...
Sahel: Touaregs say they seized military site in Gao province
Tuareg rebels on Wednesday claimed to have captured a camp of Mali's armed forces in the north of the country, where...
Sahel: Nigeria endorses Algeria’s mediation plan for Niger
The Sahel issues are now the domain of the Algerian military, who have sidelined the president and his aids due to...
UN and AU discuss funding for African peacekeeping
The security councils of the United Nations and African Union on Thursday began talks on funding for peacekeeping...
Sahel: French forces are leaving Niger this week
France said Thursday that it would start withdrawing its troops from Niger this week after a falling-out with the...
Sahel: 29 Niger soldiers killed by suspected jihadists
Twenty-nine soldiers were killed in western Niger in an attack by suspected jihadists, the defence ministry said on...
Sahel: Niger considering Algeria’s mediation offer and a transition period
Niger began three days of national mourning Tuesday after 29 soldiers were killed in a suspected jihadist attack, the...
Mali preparing offensive against Tuareg fighters in north of the country
A Malian army convoy was moving closer towards the northern rebel stronghold Kidal on Tuesday, following a resumption...
Niger: Dozen soldiers killed in Jihadist attack in Tijane
A terrorist attack took place in the Tijiane region, Niger, on September 29, 2023, resulting in the death of 13...
Sahel: Burkina’s new leader de-emphasizes importance of election
Elections in Burkina Faso are "not a priority" compared to "security", the country's military leader Captain Ibrahim...
Sahel: Full-blown war in central and north Mali
Tuareg-dominated separatist groups said on Saturday that they had inflicted heavy losses on the Malian military in an...
Mali: Al-Qaeda offshoot intensifies attacks on Mali army
@northafricajournalMali #Lere: An attack on two #military camps in northern #Mali claimed by #Touaregs killed five...
Sahel: Mali buries officer killed crash
Mali's ruling junta on Wednesday paid tribute to a lieutenant colonel who relatives say was killed aboard a plane that...
Mali: Junta postpones presidential election indefinitely, outrage in Bamako
Malian political groups expressed outrage on Wednesday at the junta's decision to postpone indefinitely the...
Sahel: Mali warns ECOWAS against military action in Niger
Mali "will not stand idly by" if foreign governments intervene in neighouring Niger, Bamako's top diplomat warned the...
Sahel: Niger bans French aircraft from its airspace
Niger's military rulers have banned "French aircraft" from flying over the country's airspace, according to the Agency...
Sahel: French President makes pragmatic decision to step away from Niger
French withdrawals from Africa After Mali, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic, France is being forced to...
Mali: Tuaregs say they shot down two military planes, captured soldiers in intensifying conflict
An alliance of armed groups in northern Mali said it has taken several soldiers prisoner and killed a dozen others,...
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...
Sahel: The demise of the ancient city of Timbuktu
When jihadists in Mali announced they would blockade the ancient city of Timbuktu, residents thought it was just...
Niger and ECOWAS: The cost of collective punishment
Lines of hundreds of trucks stretch back many kilometres close to Benin's northern border with Niger, their cargo...
Sahel: Growing tension between Niger and Benin
Niger’s junta dispatched army reinforcements in Gaya, a town located on the border with Benin, some 300 km from...
Libya: ‘Worse than war’: Flood trauma haunts survivors
By Fulya Ozerkan: Grief etched into her face, 15-year-old Ibrar struggled to find the words to describe her pain at...
Mali: Touareg group kills five army soldiers in Léré
An attack on two military camps in northern Mali claimed by armed rebel groups killed five soldiers, while 11 others...
Sahel: Niger takes risks over diplomatic standoff with France
The European Union's top diplomat on Monday voiced solidarity with France's ambassador to Niger, who has faced intense...
Sahel: US military resumes surveillance flights over Niger
The United States has resumed surveillance flights over Niger that were halted in the wake of the military takeover...
Niger cancels 1,000 diplomatic passports from ousted regime
The new military rulers of Niger have cancelled more than 990 diplomatic passports held by nationals and foreigners...
Sahel: Army-Tuareg war reignites in north Mali
Opinion by Arezki Daoud: The military junta in Mali is now confronted with the realities of war. It is battling on...
Niger: Anti-France groups maintain pressure, want France out
"Macron, get out of our house," thousands of young demonstrators chant to the rhythm of reggae, making plain their...