Security

MEA RISK’s SHIELD & ALERT notifications: Access requires installing Shield & Alert mobile application. More info on S&A here or click here to signup and install

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: Community Mourns Mariam Cissé, Killed by Militants in Northern Mali$

Mariam Cissé, a well-known content creator from the town of Tonka in northern Mali, was abducted on November 6, 2025, at a weekly fair in Echel, roughly twenty kilometers northwest of her hometown. The following day, she was executed in public in an area under the...

Sahel: Foreign Workers Targeted in New Mali Kidnappings$

A series of recent kidnappings in western and northern Mali have reinforced growing concerns for foreign workers and business interests operating in the region, amid ongoing insecurity, targeted attacks, and evolving hostage negotiations. [am4show have='g1;'...

Spain Faces Scrutiny Over Migrant Centers in Mauritania$

Debate in Spain has increased over government funding for migrant centers in Mauritania, with some critics arguing these sites operate more like detention centers than shelters. The controversy is drawing attention to broader questions about European border security,...

Sahel: Niger bans French aircraft from its airspaceF

Niger's military rulers have banned "French aircraft" from flying over the country's airspace, according to the Agency for the Safety of Air Navigation in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) website. Niger's airspace is "open to all national and international commercial...

Mali: Tuaregs say they shot down two military planes, captured soldiers in intensifying conflictF

An alliance of armed groups in northern Mali said it has taken several soldiers prisoner and killed a dozen others, while losing eight of its own fighters in a recent operation. The alliance -- which includes the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), a coalition of...

Sahel: The demise of the ancient city of TimbuktuF

When jihadists in Mali announced they would blockade the ancient city of Timbuktu, residents thought it was just another intimidation tactic. But a month and a half later, the tens of thousands of inhabitants remain almost completely cut off from the world with the...

Niger and ECOWAS: The cost of collective punishmentF

Lines of hundreds of trucks stretch back many kilometres close to Benin's northern border with Niger, their cargo wasting and their drivers going broke after weeks stranded at the closed frontier. Almost two months since a coup ousted Niger's president, the trucks...