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,...
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Mali: Wagner and Junta leaders in tough spot with series of embarrassing defeats and decisions to make
(Photo from unconfirmed video showing an insurgent burning the presidential plane in Bamako. The person filming the attack speaks in Peul or Fulani language) By Arezki Daoud: This week’s attacks on the Malian capital of Bamako highlight the junta's difficulty in...
Mali: JNIM raids Bamako in direct threat to military junta
On Tuesday, 17 September 2024, Bamako, the capital of Mali, was the target of coordinated attacks claimed by the JNIM. At least two military sites, including a gendarmerie training facility, were raided as early as 5 a.m. The targeted sites were the Faladié...
Mali: The Failing Campaign of Wagner in Mali Presages Trouble for the Junta in Bamako
There have been more chatter and speculations about the activities of Russia’s mercenaries, formerly known as the Wagner Group, now reportedly called the Afrika Corps in the Sahel. It is unclear if the name "Afrika Corps" is official, but if so, it certainly confirms...
Sahel/Sahara: Unprecedented Summer Flooding Devastates Numerous Regions
Every summer, the Sahara and Sahel regions experience floodings that cause deaths and damage. This year, however, the magnitude of the destruction appears more severe. In this month of August, devastating rains and floods hit the corridor stretching from southern...
Migrations: The heartbreaking death of African migrants in the Atlantic, nearly 4,000 miles away
I like the Dominican Republic. It is a joyful country with wonderful people, and well... it is the Caribbeans, after all. I make frequent visits there, given the short distance from Miami, at just about an hour-and-a-half flight. Although it would be fun to sail from...
Sahel: Wagner Lost Men in Tinzouatin, but Russia Sees Real ROI in the Sahel. It May Now Make a Move on Nigeria
Russia is seeing a good "return on its investment" in the Sahel. Both Mali and Niger have cut their ties with Ukraine...
Sahel: Ukraine invites itself in the Sahel crisis
Ukraine has a good reason to sabotage Russia’s operations around the world. They are at war. And so it is no surprise...
Update: Dozens of Russian Militiamen Killed by Tuareg Rebels in Mali
Our colleagues of Mondafrique have released the following update. With its unmatched connections in the Sahel and West...
Environment: Coastal city of Agadir is hottest place ever in Morocco : 120F or 50.4C
Temperatures in Morocco have for the first time on record topped 50 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit), the North...
Mali: Mali junta face more disgruntled Ethnic Touaregs
Regional rebels in Mali who signed a peace deal in 2015 have withdrawn their representatives from the capital, a move...
Niger crisis: Burkina Faso sides with Niger junta, suspends media for anti-Niger stance
Burkina Faso's junta-led government has suspended one of the country's most popular radio stations after it broadcast...
Niger: Toppled president said to be “fine, given the situation”
Niger's detained president was seen by his doctor on Saturday, his entourage said, amid mounting concern for his...
Niger: ECOWAS walks away from early threat of using force to restore deposed president
West African leaders will make negotiations with the military leaders who have seized control in Niger the "bedrock"...
Niger crisis: Algeria opposes military intervention in Niger
Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the prsident of Niger's northern neighbor Algeria, told reporters on Saturday August 5, 2023,...
Niger: Thousands of coup supporters gather in Niamey stadium
Thousands of supporters of the military coup in Niger gathered at a Niamey stadium Sunday, when a deadline set by the...
Sahel: Chad acquires military vehicles and security gear from the UAE
The United Arab Emirates has sent military vehicles and other security gear to Chad in support of anti-"terrorism"...
Nigerian president Tinubu under pressure to avoid war with northern neighbor Niger
By Camille Malpat with Aminu Abubakar in Kano, Nigeria: Political leaders in Nigeria are urging President Bola Tinubu...
Brief: Nigeria cuts electricity to Niger after coup
Nigeria has cut its electricity supply to Niger after West African neighbours imposed sanctions on the junta that...
Niger: Coup leaders get popular support amid rising regional tensions
By Boureima Hama with Delphine Touitou: Thousands of people rallied Thursday in Niger's capital in support of the coup...
Sahel: West African states getting stressed over coup in Niger, do not rule out military action
Senegal said Thursday that it will participate if the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decides to...
Niger: Nuclear industry in France seeks to appease concerns over Niger’s uranium
The military coup in Niger last week raises the question of Europe's dependency on uranium mined in the West African...
Niger: New leaders launch purge of deposed regime ministers
Four ministers in Niger, a former minister and the head of ousted president Mohamed Bazoum's party have been arrested...
Niger military junta accuses France of plotting counter-coup
By Boureima Hama: Niger's new junta on Monday accused France of seeking to "intervene militarily" to reinstate deposed...
Niger: ECOWAS threatens Niger junta to return power to civilians
African leaders on Sunday gave the junta in Niger one week to cede power or face the possible use of force, and...
Niger: Athletes from Niger struggle to perform in Kinshasa after coup
Nigerien participants in the Francophone Games, which have kicked off in DR Congo's capital, have been left struggling...
Niger: Army General Abdourahamane Tchiani leads Niger’s new ruling junta
By Boureima Hama: Niger's putschists named an army general as the new leader of the unstable jihadist-hit nation on...
Niger: Army sides with presidential guard in ousting president Bezoum
Niger's armed forces chief on Thursday declared his support for troops who announced they had seized power, despite a...
Podcast: Sahel: North Mali is bracing for more violence
Mali in the Sahel region is facing unprecedented crises. With the withdrawal of France forces and the upcoming pull...
Niger in the footsteps of Mali and Burkina, coup in the offing
The Militarization of the Sahel By Boureima Hama: An attempted coup was underway Wednesday in the Sahel state of Niger...
Sahel: Gunmen kill dozen civilians in Niger’s Tillaberi region
Gunmen have attacked two villages in Niger's vast Tillaberi border region, killing a dozen people working in the...
Sahel: Germany and Mali agree ‘smooth’ pullout of UN-backed troops
Germany and Mali agreed Thursday to pursue a "smooth withdrawal" of German troops from the troubled African nation...
Mali: Ethnic Tuaregs brace for attacks from army and Russian mercenaries ($)
By Arezki Daoud: The departure of the French forces and the forthcoming exit from Mali of the UN peacekeeping mission...
The militarization of the Sahel: Governments run by soldiers ($)
By Arezki Daoud: Military regimes now dominate the governments of the Sahel nations. The countries in the region have...
Corruption and war on human rights defenders in Africa
Amnesty International said Tuesday that West and Central African nations must do more to fight corruption and stop...
Sahel: Malian journalist Mohamed Youssouf Bathily acquitted over PM ‘assassination’ claim
A prominent Malian TV and radio journalist was acquitted on Tuesday on charges that he falsely claimed a former...
Sahel: Mauritania urges Mali to rejoin W.African anti-jihadist force
Mauritania's president on Monday urged Mali to rejoin a West African anti-jihadist force and regional grouping known...
Sahel: Niger-French troops arrest two alleged IS fighters
Two leading jihadists from the Islamic State's Sahel affiliate have been arrested in a joint operation by Niger and...
Sahel: Russia pledges continued support to Mali as UN ends MINUSMA mandate
Russia has renewed its "unstinting support" for Mali after the end of the UN peacekeeping mission in the desert state,...
Burkina Faso: Attackers kill civilians in the Sahel Province
An armed attack in northern Burkina Faso, an area plagued by jihadist violence, has left about 10 civilians dead,...
Mali: MINUSMA convoy attacked near Gao
Armed men attacked a logistics convoy of the UN mission in the north of Mali on Thursday, a source at the UN...
Senegal: President Macky Sall made the right decision by not seeking third term
By Adrien Marotte and Soulé Dia: Relief swept Senegal and its supporters on Tuesday after President Macky Sall...
Sahel: UN Mission to leave Mali, but no timetable set yet
By Amélie Bottlier-Depois: With the imminent end of the UN's Mali peacekeeping mission seemingly no longer in doubt,...
Mali: Civilians killed by terrorists in Gabero region
At least 13 civilians have been killed by suspected jihadists in chronically unstable northern Mali, elected officials...
Sahel: Nearly 80 troops and insurgents die in clash in northcentral Burkina Faso
At least 31 Burkinabe soldiers and three allied volunteer militiamen (VDP) have been killed in an attack by suspected...
Sahel: Cocaine trafficking surges in the Sahel, as armed groups seek to profit from illicit trade
Annual cocaine seizures in the Sahel surged from 13 kilograms (28 pounds) in 2020 to 863 kilos just two years later as...
UN peacekeeping missions in Africa at a crossroads
By Amélie Bottollier-Depois: When Mali recently called for a UN peacekeeping force to depart the country "without...
Sahel: Mali’s new constitution paves the way for more instability ahead
Mali’s Problems in Four Minutes Opinion By Arezki Daoud: Yesterday, we reported how the Tuareg community in northern...
Sahel: Mali has a new constitution
Malian voters overwhelmingly approved changes to the constitution in a referendum, marking a key step in the ruling...