Politics

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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...

Irregular Migration to Spain Falls Sharply in 2025 With Decline in Atlantic Crossings$

After reaching a historic high in 2024, irregular migration to Spain fell sharply in 2025. Official data show a decline of more than 40% compared with the previous year, driven largely by a collapse in arrivals via the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands. Spanish...

How the US Intervention in Venezuela is Reviving Global South Fears of Power Politics$

The US raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is resonating across Africa as part of a broader pattern of great‑power behavior that many on the continent see as a return to old hierarchies, rather than an isolated episode in Latin America. The...

Sahel: French President makes pragmatic decision to step away from NigerF

French withdrawals from Africa After Mali, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic, France is being forced to withdraw troops from yet another former African colony that pivoted to Russia after souring on Paris: Niger. Faced with growing anti-French sentiment...

Niger junta creates anti-corruption commissionF

The military regime in Niger that seized power in a coup said late Wednesday it has created an anti-corruption commission to recover public assets. Niger's military took power on July 26, toppling democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum. The military chiefs...

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...