Security

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Benin Soldiers Mount Brief Coup Attempt$

Benin’s government says it has put down a brief but serious military uprising after soldiers appeared on state television on December 7 claiming to remove President Patrice Talon from power and suspend the constitution. The confrontation lasted only a few hours before...

Mauritania: Medical Equipment Contract Controversy Deepens in Mauritania$

A medical procurement deal in Mauritania has turned into a governance controversy, after an investigation by independent outlet Alakhbar alleged serious irregularities in how the military managed a multimillion‑euro contract to equip public hospitals. Instead of...

Mauritania Confronts Concentrated Desert Locust Outbreak With Regional Spillover Risk$

Mauritania is facing a concentrated desert locust outbreak in several western and northern regions, prompting intensified surveillance and control operations as ecological conditions continue to favor breeding. While the current wave of activity remains primarily...

West Africa: Allegations of Staged Military Takeover Cloud Guinea-Bissau’s Electoral Crisis$

Guinea-Bissau, a small West African nation of 2.2 million people sandwiched between Senegal and Guinea, has been thrust into political turmoil following a military takeover that prominent regional figures allege may have been staged. The November 26 seizure of power...

Mauritania: New Rescue Off Nouadhibou as Regional Migration Pressures Intensify$

Mauritanian authorities and local rescue teams recovered a pirogue carrying 156 migrants on Monday off the coast of Nouadhibou, ending a ten-day drift that left the passengers in severe physical distress. The operation adds to a growing number of maritime incidents...

Mauritania’s Former President Loses Final Appeal, Will Serve 15 Years$

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who led Mauritania from 2009 to 2019, has lost his final appeal and will serve 15 years in prison. The Supreme Court of Mauritania upheld his conviction for illicit enrichment and money laundering, following a years-long legal process that saw...

Sahel: Touaregs say they seized military site in Gao provinceF

Tuareg rebels on Wednesday claimed to have captured a camp of Mali's armed forces in the north of the country, where clashes have been escalating since August. The Upper Council for Azawad Unity (CUA) said in a brief statement on social networks that the army camp at...

Sahel: Nigeria endorses Algeria’s mediation plan for NigerF

The Sahel issues are now the domain of the Algerian military, who have sidelined the president and his aids due to their connections with France. Sources say that the Algerian mediation is likely the result of an agreement with the United States, which has been...

UN and AU discuss funding for African peacekeepingF

The security councils of the United Nations and African Union on Thursday began talks on funding for peacekeeping missions by the pan-African body on the continent. AU, the bloc of 55 African countries with a population of 1.4 billion people, has long struggled to...

Sahel: French forces are leaving Niger this weekF

France said Thursday that it would start withdrawing its troops from Niger this week after a falling-out with the post-coup regime, which insists the exit be carried out in accordance with its "conditions". The announcement by the French army follows weeks of tensions...