Russian-linked forces in Mali are increasingly coming under attack from armed groups that are adapting to the drone age. Two recent incidents in the Kidal region, a March 30 strike near Anéfis and an April 7 attack on a camp in Aguelhok, are evidence of a clear...
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Niger Turns to Local Self-Defense Units to Contain Growing Insecurity
Niamey's decision to formalize local self-defense units called Domol Leydi is the latest sign that Niger's security crisis has worsened, moving beyond a conventional counterterrorism problem and into a broader struggle for territorial control. The government says the...
West Africa: Jihadist Attacks Intensify in Northern Benin Amid Cross-Border Insurgency Pressure
Armed attacks attributed to Sahel-based jihadist groups have intensified in northern Benin in recent weeks, highlighting the continued spread of militant activity along the country’s borders with Burkina Faso and Niger. On March 4, fighters linked to the Group for the...
Desert Locusts Stir Fresh Worries in North-West Africa
Agricultural authorities in several parts of North and West Africa are maintaining surveillance for desert locust activity following recent reports of small swarms detected near Algeria’s southwestern border. The monitoring reflects the importance of the western...
Mali Army, Russian Allies Accused of Executing Civilians Near Mauritania Border
Malian troops and their Russian allies are accused of executing refugees and civilians near the Mauritanian border, according to RFI. The French media outlet said seven people who had just crossed from Mauritania into Mali were killed on Friday, March 6, in the Ahl El...
Niger: Armed Attacks Target Military Bases in Tahoua
In the early hours of March 9, 2026, armed militants launched coordinated assaults on military facilities in Tahoua, a city in northwestern Niger located about 500 kilometers east of Niamey. The attacks targeted both the local airport and nearby military...
Sahel: Terror Groups Gain Ground as Armies Struggle to Contain Them
Al-Qaeda’s Sahel branch, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM or GNIM in French) is now emerging as the region’s...
While the Sahel Faces Worsening Security Climate, Juntas Leverage Regional Integration to Consolidate Power
The demise of the Bachar Al-Assad regime in Syria is giving the Sahelian juntas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso second...
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...
Sahel: Government reshuffle in Mauritania
Nouakchott, Aug 6, 2020 - Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani on Thursday carried out a government...
Sahel: Government of Chad slows Internet access to a trickle
N'Djamena, Aug 4, 2020 - Chad says it has cut back the speed of the internet to crimp the spread of messages "inciting...
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,...