Africa has been a low priority for virtually all US administrations, be they republicans or democrats. It is true that Donald Trump has been more belligerent and vocal about his positions on Africa, but even Democrats have shown no interest in playing a more effective...
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Sahel: A Primer on the Northern Mali Crisis
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,...
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...
Brief: Sahel Juntas Confirm their Rejection of ECOWAS
Niger just hosted a summit of the leaders of three Sahel nations, an event that was used to confirm their rejection of...
Africa’s Defense Shifting from Western to Russian Influence
By Arezki Daooud: A lot of military-related events are taking place in the Sahel and other parts of Africa. First, a...
Burkina Faso Junta Faces Governance Challenges Amid Controversies and Rumors
Recently, there were shooting incidents in Ouagadougou and the absence of junta chief Captain Traore was interpreted...
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...
Sahel: More trouble in Mali as Touareg groups in north are up in arms over recent junta actions
Armed groups that signed a landmark peace accord in insurgency-hit Mali have alleged widespread fraud during voting in...
Mali rulers pushing for a breakup with UN, accusing it of spying
Mali's ruling junta has asked prosecutors to probe the UN's peacekeeping mission for "espionage" following a report...
Niger adopting traditional conflict resolution methods to end communal conflicts
By Boureima Hama: Traditional chiefs, officials, human rights activists and NGOs have been criss-crossing the vast...
Mali accuses UN mission of fueling communal tensions, calls for its immediate withdrawal
Mali's foreign minister called Friday for the UN Security Council to withdraw the peacekeeping mission in his country...
Mali junta wants people to vote for new constitution to enable power grab
Malians go to the polls on Sunday to pass judgment on the governing junta's constitution, which has fueled speculation...
Sahel: Over 16 million people need aid in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger
More than 16 million people affected by conflict and climate change in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger need humanitarian...
Sudan truce extension brings renewed fighting, little aid
Fighting flared again in Sudan on Tuesday despite the latest ceasefire pledges of the two warring generals, meant to...
Burkina Faso junta likely to delay return to civilian rule, rejects talks with insurgents
Photo: PM Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla: Burkina Faso's prime minister on Tuesday ruled out negotiations with...
Mauritania: Ruling party wins legislative and local elections, opposition claims “massive fraud”
Mauritania Elections By Hademine Ould Sadi: The ruling party in Mauritania scored a comfortable victory in last week's...
Sahel: 11 men jailed over Chad ‘coup bid’ promised pardons
Eleven men accused of planning a "coup d'etat" in Chad have been sentenced to 20 years in prison, the attorney general...
Mauritania: Voting in local and legislative elections begins
El-Khadir Lamine, an 18-year-old student voting for the first time, said he was hoping for "new opportunities for...
Sudan: As military-men fight over power, Khartoum falls into chaos
Thousands of residents on Wednesday fled Sudan's capital, where witnesses said bodies lay in the street from fighting...
Africa: Competition between France and Russia over Africa is getting more violent
By Barbara Debou: On a night in early March, arsonists attacked a brewery owned by the French drinks giant Castel in...
Sahel: Secretary Blinken visits Niger as US worries about Russia’s expanding influence in the Sahel
By Shaun Tandon: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Niger on Thursday for a rare visit to a country seen...
Mali junta cracks down on social media influencers, arrests Rokia Doumbia
A prominent social media influencer in Mali was detained Wednesday after lambasting the ruling military junta as a...
Mali regime to miss deadline to return to civilian rule, postpones constitutional referendum
Mali's ruling junta will postpone a constitutional referendum but maintain a previously agreed timeline to return to...
Mali: Religious leaders reject draft constitution calling for secularism
An influential organisation of religious leaders in Mali on Tuesday called on its followers to reject a new...
France to scale back military presence in Africa
By Valerie Leroux: President Emmanuel Macron on Monday announced a "noticeable reduction" of French troop presence in...
Niger: Soldiers sent to prison for attempted coup
A Niger court on Friday handed prison terms ranging from two to 20 years to several soldiers accused of attempting to...
Sahel: The sad plight of children in the Sahel’s conflict zones
By Amaury Hauchard: After fleeing the jihadists who threatened their remote village, Aichata Hassan had no idea that...
Sahel: Russia seeks greater influence over Mauritania, offers support
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday offered support for Mauritania in the fight against jihadism in...
Sahel and West Africa junta regimes seek reentry to regional blocs
Foreign ministers from three West African countries that have undergone military coups called for their reinstatement...
Sahel: Mali fires six senior army officers, including top army leader, as Tuareg groups in the north unify
Six senior Malian military officers, including the army chief of staff and head of the national guard, were relieved...
Sahel: Russia looks to deepen influence in the Sahel with foreign minister’s visit to Mali
Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov arrives in Mali late Monday for talks with its junta leaders seeking Moscow's...
Sahel: Mali expels head of the human rights division of UN’s MINUSMA mission
UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Monday slammed Mali's expulsion of the top rights representative in the troubled...
Sahel: Niger holds activist in air strike case
The head of a leading campaign group in Niger has been detained in a case involving an army air strike on suspected...
Mauritania: Trial over corruption of ex-president Abdelaziz begins this week
By Laurent Lozano and Hademine Sadi: Mauritania's ex-president Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz goes on trial on graft charges...
Sahel: Opposition parties in Chad allowed to resume activity
Chad has lifted the suspension of political activities by several opposition parties imposed following a violent...
Sahel: UN peacekeeping mission in Mali at risk amid shortage of troops
By Amélie Bottolier-Depois: The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali is "unsustainable" without more personnel, according...
Mali: Tear gas fired as influential Malian imam returns
Followers of an influential Malian imam on Sunday called for the country's ruling junta to explain the use of tear gas...
Sahel: Mali avoids escalating regional crisis by pardoning jailed Ivorian soldiers
Mali's junta leader on Friday pardoned all 49 Ivorian soldiers whose arrest in July triggered a bitter diplomatic row,...
Sahel: Regime in Chad said it thwarted a coup
The government in Chad said Thursday that it had foiled an "attempted destabilisation" plot by army officers and a...
Mauritania: Ex President Ould Abdel Aziz prevented from leaving country amid corruption probe
Mauritania's ex-president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who faces a trial for alleged corruption, said on Thursday that he...
Sahel: Top UN rep in Burkina Faso declared “persona non grata”, asked to leave
Burkina Faso has ordered the UN's coordinator in the country to leave by the end of the day, declaring her "persona...
Sahel: Security conditions to worsen in northern Mali as peace deal collapses
Almost all armed groups in Mali that signed a major peace deal in 2015 suspended their participation in the agreement ...
Gambia, another West African nation, headed toward turmoil
The Gambia's government on Wednesday said it had thwarted a coup attempt the previous day and arrested four soldiers....
Sahel: Germany threatens withdrawal of troops from Mali by 2024
German forces will stay in Mali until 2024 only if the junta allows them to operate freely and elections are held,...