Sahel

MEA RISK’s SHIELD & ALERT notifications: Access requires installing Shield & Alert mobile application. More info on S&A here or click here to signup and install

Niger: Heavy Rains Force Back-to-School Delay$

For the second year in a row, Niger’s public education system is adjusting its calendar in response to extended rainfall. The government has announced that the start of the 2025-26 school year, originally set for October 1, will be postponed by two weeks. Nearly three...

Senegal Battles Dual Epidemics: Monkeypox and Rift Valley Fever$

Senegalese health authorities have announced two concurrent epidemics: monkeypox (Mpox) and Rift Valley fever. So far, no deaths have been reported among monkeypox cases, but eight fatalities have been attributed to Rift Valley fever. Five monkeypox cases have been...

Mauritania and Senegal Report Rift Valley Fever Deaths Amid Regional Outbreak$

Health authorities in Mauritania and Senegal are grappling with a new outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF), a mosquito-borne viral disease that primarily affects livestock but can also infect humans. On September 29, Mauritania’s Ministry of Health confirmed three...

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 further this week following new confrontations at the United Nations and the formal breakdown of attempted legal mediation. The dispute centers on the...

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, while leaving Bamako drained. On September 10, the African Union unveiled a draft declaration aimed at bringing together countries that produce...

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 ousted regimes of Guinea, Mali, and Niger, has successfully protected his country's interests in the region. He has done so through a strategy that...

Niger: Mine blast kills seven soldiers in DiffaF

Seven soldiers were killed on Friday after their vehicle hit a landmine in Niger's southeast Diffa region, where jihadist groups are active, according to an army statement broadcast on state radio. The blast took place around 0000 GMT just 400 metres from a military...

Niger: Niamey hit with crippling power outagesF

Niger's capital Niamey is suffering major power cuts linked to disruptions in the supply of electricity from neighbouring Nigeria, according to Nigelec, the country's sole supplier. Since June 10, repeated blackouts lasting several hours have hit the capital and its...

Mali junta wants people to vote for new constitution to enable power grabF

Malians go to the polls on Sunday to pass judgment on the governing junta's constitution, which has fueled speculation that the country's strongman ruler will seek election. The vote is the first organized by the military since it seized power in August 2020 of a...

Mali leader speaks to Russia’s Putin on deepening tiesF

Russian President Vladimir Putin and the head of Mali's junta, Colonel Assimi Goita, discussed security and economic relations between their two countries, both sides reported on Wednesday. During the phone talks, "at the initiative of the Malian side", the two...