Politics

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Mali: Gold Mining Site in Sikasso Region Hit by Armed Group$

Armed attackers struck the Morila gold mine in southern Mali during the night of January 4 to January 5, 2026, causing material damage to the site, according to multiple sources. The mine is located in the Sikasso region, near Mali’s border with neighboring countries....

Burkina Faso: Deep Supply Weaknesses in Ouagadougou Amid Seasonal Butane Shortages$

Gas shortages in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, have become a recurring issue at the end of each year. The problem now appears regularly between December and January, when demand for butane rises with year-end festivities and cooler harmattan, a dry, dusty...

Sahel: Jihadist Attack Kills Local Prefect in Southwestern Niger$

A jihadist attack in Niger targeted the residence of the prefect (governor) of Torodi during the night of Sunday, January 4, into Monday, January 5. Torodi, the last major town before the border with Burkina Faso, lies roughly 30 miles south of Niamey. At least seven...

Flashpoints: How Emirati and Qatari Competition Is Redrawing the Red Sea Map$

Charlotte Touati - Mondafrique: Two competing poles are now clearly taking shape in the contest for control over access to the Red Sea. The first, structured around the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and the Abraham Accords, includes Ethiopia and Somaliland, which has...

Flashpoints: Benin-Niger Tensions Deepen as Diplomatic Relations Deteriorate$

Relations between Benin and Niger have entered a new period of strain following reciprocal diplomatic expulsions. In recent days, authorities in Cotonou (Benin) asked two Nigerien embassy officials to leave the country. Niamey responded by declaring Benin’s chargé...

Europe’s New Migration Rules Shift Pressure South to North Africa$

The European Union’s revised migration framework, set to take effect in mid-2026, is already reshaping how migration is managed across the Mediterranean. Recent coordination meetings between North African states and Italy are part of the ongoing shift taking place in...

Senegal’s outgoing president prepares for disgraced exitF

By Francis Sahel, Mondafrique: In the absence of any other alternative, Senegalese President Mack Sall announced last Friday his intention to comply with the Constitutional Council’s decision to hold the presidential election and leave power by April 2. The Council’s...

Africa’s 2024 Elections Off to a Bad StartF

By Arezki Daoud: It’s an election year in Africa and it already started badly. The East African island of Comoros in the Indian Ocean opened the election cycle on 14 January, with autocratic figure Azali Assoumani “re-elected” for a third term, presumably winning 63%...

Senegal President Suspends Presidential Election, Pushes Country into ChaosF

By Nicolas Beau | MondAfrique: The specter of an unprecedented political crisis looms over Senegal with President Macky Sall’s decision to suspend the presidential election scheduled February 25. The latter’s desire to impose his protege Amadou Ba at all costs as his...

Podcast: The Sahel is the Next Big Geopolitical Crisis where Foreign Meddlers are CongregatingF

Transcript: The Sahel is now clearly the next big event in Africa's geopolitics. After the complete destruction of Libya, the same foreign powers that paid for the killing of a nation are now shifting their attention to the Sahel, establishing the bases of another...