Security

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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...

Burkina Faso Faces New Security Tensions Amid Coup Allegations$

Burkina Faso experienced a sudden spike in political and security tension overnight in early January, with coordinated public mobilizations in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso following warnings of a possible attempt to destabilize the country’s transitional...

U.S. Immigration Policy and the Changing Landscape of Africa-U.S. Travel$

As the United States prepares to implement a new round of immigration and visa policy changes in 2026, the effects are being felt across Africa and parts of the Middle East. What began as a technical overhaul of screening and enforcement procedures has evolved into a...

The UAE’s Growing Role in African Conflict Zones$

Saudi–Emirati tensions over Yemen open a wider question: to what extent is the UAE using proxy actors, media leverage, and selective alliances to reshape crisis zones from Libya and Sudan to the Western Sahara file, often in ways that cut across Algerian and broader...

Sahel: Niger Declares General Mobilization Amid Escalating Jihadist Violence$

Niger’s military-led authorities have announced a nationwide general mobilization that allows for the requisitioning of people, property, and services as part of their campaign against armed jihadist groups operating across the country. The decision comes amid...

Niger ditches security arrangements with EU, engages more with RussiaF

Niger's military leaders said Monday that they were ending two European Union security and defence missions in the country, after earlier in the day agreeing to strengthen military cooperation with Russia. The Nigerien foreign ministry said that it was ending the...

Mali: The taking of Kidal: Why the town in north Mali is so importantF

Mali's army has retaken the town of Kidal from Tuareg-dominated rebels. Here we look at the significance of the place which has for years been a northern stronghold for the separatists. - Where and what is Kidal? - Kidal occupies a special place in the geography and...

Mali: Southern Malians celebrate army’s taking of northern city of KidalF

Jubilant Malians have taken to the streets and the ruling junta issued triumphant statements saying the military's takeover of a key rebel-held town validated its strategic choices. The capture of Kidal -- a historic centre of independence insurgencies and a...

Sahel: Russia to build nuclear power plant in Burkina FasoF

Burkina Faso's junta-led government signed a deal with Russia on Friday for the construction of a nuclear power plant to increase the energy supply to the Sahel country where less than a quarter of the population has access to electricity. It is the latest move by...