Sahel

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Mali: Bamako Strikes Back as JNIM Expands Its Rule$

Over one turbulent weekend in mid‑October 2025, Mali’s army announced a series of airstrikes against jihadist strongholds just as the country’s most powerful al‑Qaeda affiliate, Jama’at Nusrat  al‑Islam wal‑Muslimin (JNIM), released a new video spelling out its...

Sahel: Three Sahel States Join Forces in Northern Mali Offensive$

Joint counterterrorism forces from the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) have carried out a precision operation in northern Mali, killing Boubacar Demougui Ag Almouner, one of the Islamic State in the Sahel’s most prominent field commanders. The strike took place on...

Sahel: The Demographic Tide Reshaping Mali’s Regional Balance$

Mali is on the cusp of a demographic transformation. According to new projections from the country’s National Population Directorate (DNP), the population—currently around 24.7 million in 2025—is expected to soar past 51.6 million by 2050. That represents a doubling...

Sahel: Fever Outbreak Overwhelms Mauritanian Hospitals$

Hospitals in Mauritania are under growing strain as an outbreak of an unidentified fever spreads through the country’s two largest cities, Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, raising alarm among residents and health professionals. Regional hospitals in both cities are...

Africa: New Warning of Evolving Hybrid Threats Linking Terrorism, Crime, and Climate Pressures Across Africa$

At a recent Mediterranean Dialogues Forum in Naples, Mauritania’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug delivered a sobering assessment of how Africa’s security landscape is changing — and what that means for neighboring regions and international partners....

Mauritania: Water Scarcity Sparks Protests in Chami$

Residents of Chami, a mining hub in western Mauritania, have taken to the streets to protest severe and prolonged water shortages that have left parts of the city without running water for days. Demonstrations erupted on October 15 outside the local offices of the...

Sahel: The demise of the ancient city of TimbuktuF

When jihadists in Mali announced they would blockade the ancient city of Timbuktu, residents thought it was just another intimidation tactic. But a month and a half later, the tens of thousands of inhabitants remain almost completely cut off from the world with the...

Niger and ECOWAS: The cost of collective punishmentF

Lines of hundreds of trucks stretch back many kilometres close to Benin's northern border with Niger, their cargo wasting and their drivers going broke after weeks stranded at the closed frontier. Almost two months since a coup ousted Niger's president, the trucks...

Sahel: Growing tension between Niger and BeninF

Niger’s junta dispatched army reinforcements in Gaya, a town located on the border with Benin, some 300 km from Niamey. The increased military presence is likely connected to the border dispute between Niger and Benin on the island of Lété, a conflict that dates back...

Libya: ‘Worse than war’: Flood trauma haunts survivorsF

By Fulya Ozerkan: Grief etched into her face, 15-year-old Ibrar struggled to find the words to describe her pain at the loss of three friends in the huge flood that shattered her Libyan hometown. "We will never forget that day in Derna," she said, while trying hard to...