The arrival of Leo Brent Bozell III as the new U.S. ambassador to South Africa comes at a moment of visible diplomatic tension between Washington and Pretoria. Appointed in March 2025 by President Donald Trump and arriving in Pretoria on February 17, 2026, Bozell...
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Algeria and Niger Relaunch Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline After Diplomatic Freeze
Algeria and Niger have formally reset strained bilateral relations and announced the operational relaunch of the long-delayed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline project, signaling a significant geopolitical and energy shift across North and West Africa. During an official...
Niger: Roadside Bomb Kills Civilians Near Baroua in Diffa Region
An improvised explosive device struck a mixed transport vehicle near Baroua in Niger’s Diffa region at around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 10, killing at least eight people at the scene and injuring others, according to local accounts. The blast destroyed the...
Flashpoints: In Southern Chad, A Local Clash Reveals Deeper Fragility
Clashes in southern Chad between government forces and a little‑known rebel movement offer a window into how local conflicts feed into the continent’s broader instability, far from the headlines that dominate global coverage. On January 13, 2026, at least six people...
Local Conflicts: State-Imposed Land Pact Struggles to Calm Tensions in Brakna, Mauritania
Authorities in Mauritania’s Brakna region have brokered a fragile peace deal aimed at ending a violent land dispute between neighboring farming communities, but deep political mistrust and unresolved questions about land rights suggest the crisis is far from over. The...
Niger Airport Attack Deepens Sahel’s Security and Diplomatic Strains
An overnight assault on Niger’s main international airport has prompted a partial drawdown of U.S. diplomatic staff from Niamey and renewed scrutiny of the country’s security trajectory and external partnerships. Shortly before midnight on January 29, 2026, armed...
Mining Standoffs in the Sahel: Two Companies in the Midst of a Foreign Investor Crisis
By Arezki Daoud - Foreign mining companies in the #Sahel are experiencing a nightmare scenario. Escalating tensions in...
Burkina Faso: Junta Chief Dismisses Prime Minister, Replaces him with Loyalist ex-Journalist
Photo of Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo Burkina Faso has a new Prime Minister, after the December 6, 2024, ousting by junta...
Sahel: Inside Chad’s Risky Alliance in Sudan’s Conflict
Chadian President Mahamat Déby’s support for Sudan’s Hemedti amid the Sudanese conflict has sparked tension at home,...
Mali: Opposition rejects compromise by West African leaders, insists president must leave
Mali's opposition on Wednesday reiterated calls for President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to resign, again spurning a...
Mali crisis: Opposition insists on president’s departure
A protest movement that has sprung up in Mali, shaking President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's grip on power, on Tuesday...
Sahel: Five West African presidents gather in Mali to save it from complete collapse
Bamako, July 23, 2020 - West African leaders gathered in Bamako on Thursday in a fresh push to end an escalating...
Sahel: Mali crisis deepens after ECOWAS failed at mediation
Bamako, July 20, 2020 - Malian leaders are gearing up for more mediation talks on Thursday, when four African...
Mali: Mediators propose that the opposition participates in government
Bamako, July 19, 2020 - West African mediators trying to resolve Mali's political crisis on Sunday called for a...
Mali: Inside the June 5 Movement
Bamako, July 17, 2020 - Mali's protest movement against President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has triggered the war-torn...
Mali opposition agrees to truce, announces cancellation of Friday protest
Bamako, July 15, 2020 - The Malian opposition alliance that demands President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita step down has...
Sahel: Regional initiative to ease tension in Mali
[Photo: Ex-Nigeria president Goodluck Johnathan leads ECOWAS delegation to mediate in Mali crisis]: Envoys from Mali's...
Sahel: Understanding the crisis in Mali
A protest movement in Mali has snowballed in just six weeks, shaking the presidency of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and...
Mali: Embattled president seeks to appease tension with release of opposition figures
Bamako, July 13, 2020 - All opposition figures who were detained in Mali after violent protests against President...
Sahel: Tense situation in Mali after two people were killed
Bamako, July 11, 2020 - Tensions ran high in Mali Saturday, a day after deadly mass protests seeking the ouster of the...
Mali: Political unrest and protest in Mali. Protesters demand ousting of President
Bamako, July 10, 2020 - Protesters in Mali's capital Bamako blocked two of the city's main bridges and hurled stones...
Mali: Opposition’s stance hardens despite president speech
Mali president's speech fails to appease opposition Mali's main protest leader called for fresh anti-government...
Mauritania: Former President snubs parliament hearing on oil revenues
Nouakchott, July 9, 2020 - Mauritania's former president on Thursday skipped a parliamentary hearing examining his...
Sahel: Mali opposition wants President Keita to resign
Mali's protest leaders stepped up pressure on President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Sunday, calling for more...
Burkina Faso: From favored tourist destination to a hotbed of terrorism
By Armel Baily with Patrick Fort in Abidjan: Little more than five years ago, Burkina Faso was on the up, priding...
Niger: General Djibo enters the presidential race
General Salou Djibo, former head of Niger's military junta, will contest the 2020 presidential election after being...
Sahel: Understanding the political crisis in Mali
Bamako, June 25, 2020 (By Amaury Hauchard and Laurent Lozano) - Mali's government is facing a rising wave of protests,...
Mali: Mass rally in Bamako to demand resignation of president
Bamako, June 19, 2020 (By Amaury Hauchard, Serge Daniel and Kassim Traore) - Tens of thousands of people rallied in...
Mali braces for mass protest despite presidential call for talks with opposition
Bamako, June 17, 2020 (By Kassim Traore) - Malian opposition leader Mahmoud Dicko on Wednesday urged people to protest...
Mali’s beleaguered president says he is open to talks with opposition
Bamako, June 14, 2020 - Mali's beleaguered President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, made overtures on Sunday to the...
Sahel: Chad ruler Deby delays national assembly election for fifth time since 2015, his party stays in power
N'Djamena, June 9, 2020 - Chad's repeatedly delayed legislative elections set for December this year have been...
Mali: Religious leader takes center stage in Mali political crisis
Officials from the UN, West Africa and the African Union (AU) have met an influential Muslim cleric behind...
Sahel: The people of Mali launch their anti-regime Hirak movement
Tens of thousands of people rallied in Mali's capital Bamako on Friday demanding the departure of President Ibrahim...
Sahel Podcast: Covid-19, the insurgency and the brutality of government forces
In this latest brief podcast, MEA Risk's Arezki Daoud addresses the issues of instability and security in the Sahel,...