Africa has been a low priority for virtually all US administrations, be they republicans or democrats. It is true that Donald Trump has been more belligerent and vocal about his positions on Africa, but even Democrats have shown no interest in playing a more effective...
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Sahel: A Primer on the Northern Mali Crisis
Northern Mali has always been a region of turmoil, and the responsibility for the misery there starts with the central government in Bamako. Violence, social, economic and environmental turmoil has hit the people of the Azawad region hard, deeply affecting the Tuareg,...
Mali: Wagner and Junta leaders in tough spot with series of embarrassing defeats and decisions to make
(Photo from unconfirmed video showing an insurgent burning the presidential plane in Bamako. The person filming the attack speaks in Peul or Fulani language) By Arezki Daoud: This week’s attacks on the Malian capital of Bamako highlight the junta's difficulty in...
Mali: JNIM raids Bamako in direct threat to military junta
On Tuesday, 17 September 2024, Bamako, the capital of Mali, was the target of coordinated attacks claimed by the JNIM. At least two military sites, including a gendarmerie training facility, were raided as early as 5 a.m. The targeted sites were the Faladié...
Mali: The Failing Campaign of Wagner in Mali Presages Trouble for the Junta in Bamako
There have been more chatter and speculations about the activities of Russia’s mercenaries, formerly known as the Wagner Group, now reportedly called the Afrika Corps in the Sahel. It is unclear if the name "Afrika Corps" is official, but if so, it certainly confirms...
Sahel/Sahara: Unprecedented Summer Flooding Devastates Numerous Regions
Every summer, the Sahara and Sahel regions experience floodings that cause deaths and damage. This year, however, the magnitude of the destruction appears more severe. In this month of August, devastating rains and floods hit the corridor stretching from southern...
Brief: Sahel Juntas Confirm their Rejection of ECOWAS
Niger just hosted a summit of the leaders of three Sahel nations, an event that was used to confirm their rejection of...
Africa’s Defense Shifting from Western to Russian Influence
By Arezki Daooud: A lot of military-related events are taking place in the Sahel and other parts of Africa. First, a...
Niger: Rebel group attacks pipeline, warns Chinese contractor to stay clear
By MondAfrique: The Patriotic Front of Liberation (FPL), a rebel group based between northern Niger and southern...
Niger military junta accuses France of plotting counter-coup
By Boureima Hama: Niger's new junta on Monday accused France of seeking to "intervene militarily" to reinstate deposed...
Niger: ECOWAS threatens Niger junta to return power to civilians
African leaders on Sunday gave the junta in Niger one week to cede power or face the possible use of force, and...
Niger: Army General Abdourahamane Tchiani leads Niger’s new ruling junta
By Boureima Hama: Niger's putschists named an army general as the new leader of the unstable jihadist-hit nation on...
Niger: Army sides with presidential guard in ousting president Bezoum
Niger's armed forces chief on Thursday declared his support for troops who announced they had seized power, despite a...
Podcast: Sahel: North Mali is bracing for more violence
Mali in the Sahel region is facing unprecedented crises. With the withdrawal of France forces and the upcoming pull...
Niger in the footsteps of Mali and Burkina, coup in the offing
The Militarization of the Sahel By Boureima Hama: An attempted coup was underway Wednesday in the Sahel state of Niger...
Sahel: Gunmen kill dozen civilians in Niger’s Tillaberi region
Gunmen have attacked two villages in Niger's vast Tillaberi border region, killing a dozen people working in the...
Sahel: Germany and Mali agree ‘smooth’ pullout of UN-backed troops
Germany and Mali agreed Thursday to pursue a "smooth withdrawal" of German troops from the troubled African nation...
Mali: Ethnic Tuaregs brace for attacks from army and Russian mercenaries ($)
By Arezki Daoud: The departure of the French forces and the forthcoming exit from Mali of the UN peacekeeping mission...
The militarization of the Sahel: Governments run by soldiers ($)
By Arezki Daoud: Military regimes now dominate the governments of the Sahel nations. The countries in the region have...
Sahel: Mauritania urges Mali to rejoin W.African anti-jihadist force
Mauritania's president on Monday urged Mali to rejoin a West African anti-jihadist force and regional grouping known...
Sahel: Niger-French troops arrest two alleged IS fighters
Two leading jihadists from the Islamic State's Sahel affiliate have been arrested in a joint operation by Niger and...
Sahel: Russia pledges continued support to Mali as UN ends MINUSMA mandate
Russia has renewed its "unstinting support" for Mali after the end of the UN peacekeeping mission in the desert state,...
Burkina Faso: Attackers kill civilians in the Sahel Province
An armed attack in northern Burkina Faso, an area plagued by jihadist violence, has left about 10 civilians dead,...
Mali: MINUSMA convoy attacked near Gao
Armed men attacked a logistics convoy of the UN mission in the north of Mali on Thursday, a source at the UN...
Sahel: UN Mission to leave Mali, but no timetable set yet
By Amélie Bottlier-Depois: With the imminent end of the UN's Mali peacekeeping mission seemingly no longer in doubt,...
Mali: Civilians killed by terrorists in Gabero region
At least 13 civilians have been killed by suspected jihadists in chronically unstable northern Mali, elected officials...
Sahel: Nearly 80 troops and insurgents die in clash in northcentral Burkina Faso
At least 31 Burkinabe soldiers and three allied volunteer militiamen (VDP) have been killed in an attack by suspected...
Sahel: Cocaine trafficking surges in the Sahel, as armed groups seek to profit from illicit trade
Annual cocaine seizures in the Sahel surged from 13 kilograms (28 pounds) in 2020 to 863 kilos just two years later as...
UN peacekeeping missions in Africa at a crossroads
By Amélie Bottollier-Depois: When Mali recently called for a UN peacekeeping force to depart the country "without...
Sahel: Mali’s new constitution paves the way for more instability ahead
Mali’s Problems in Four Minutes Opinion By Arezki Daoud: Yesterday, we reported how the Tuareg community in northern...
Sahel: More trouble in Mali as Touareg groups in north are up in arms over recent junta actions
Armed groups that signed a landmark peace accord in insurgency-hit Mali have alleged widespread fraud during voting in...
Sahel: Burkina Faso endorses Mali’s call for the withdrawal of UN mission
Burkina Faso on Sunday hailed the "courageous decision" by Mali's military regime to call on the UN to withdraw its...
Niger adopting traditional conflict resolution methods to end communal conflicts
By Boureima Hama: Traditional chiefs, officials, human rights activists and NGOs have been criss-crossing the vast...
Mali accuses UN mission of fueling communal tensions, calls for its immediate withdrawal
Mali's foreign minister called Friday for the UN Security Council to withdraw the peacekeeping mission in his country...
Niger: Mine blast kills seven soldiers in Diffa
Seven soldiers were killed on Friday after their vehicle hit a landmine in Niger's southeast Diffa region, where...
Sahel: Second UN peacekeeper dies after attack in Mali
A UN peacekeeper has died of wounds sustained in an attack last week in Mali, raising the death toll in the assault to...
Mali: Attack in Tombouctou claims life of UN peacekeeper
Today, 09/06, one of our patrols near #Ber town, North of #Mali was targeted by a complex attack. It encountered an...
Sudan: Sexual violence is widespread in war-torn Sudan
By Bahira Amin: Zeinab was fleeing war-torn Sudan's capital to seek safety when she found herself pinned to the...
Chad: Army and FNDJT fighters clashing in Tibesti region
Government forces and rebels clashed for a week in a desert region of northern Chad, according to conflicting tolls...
Sahel: Over 16 million people need aid in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger
More than 16 million people affected by conflict and climate change in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger need humanitarian...
Bourkina Faso: 50 insurgents killed in Loroum as they tried to ambush food convoy
Two civilians and at least 50 "terrorists" were killed in jihadist-hit northern Burkina Faso when a food convoy being...
Sudan truce extension brings renewed fighting, little aid
Fighting flared again in Sudan on Tuesday despite the latest ceasefire pledges of the two warring generals, meant to...
Burkina Faso junta likely to delay return to civilian rule, rejects talks with insurgents
Photo: PM Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla: Burkina Faso's prime minister on Tuesday ruled out negotiations with...
Sahel: Calm returns to Mauritania after riots sparked by death of man in police custody
The Mauritanian government cut internet access for mobile phones Wednesday, a day after protests over the death of a...
Sahel: Herders and farmers in south Chad continue to clash, more deaths reported
Clashes between herders and farmers have killed at least 10 people in southern Chad, a region regularly troubled by...
Sahel: Another bloody Sunday in Burkina Faso
More than a dozen people, thought to be mostly shepherds, have been killed in an attack in eastern Burkina Faso,...
Burkina Faso: At least 12 civilians killed in northern village of Kiè
At least twelve civilians were killed in an attack by suspected jihadists in an area of western Burkina Faso bordering...
Sahel: More terror attacks on civilians in Burkina Faso
Around 40 people have been killed in a fresh wave of attacks in Burkina Faso, in areas where jihadist attacks are...
Burkina Faso: Twenty civilians killed in two terror attacks in Koulpelogo
Around 20 people in east-central Burkina Faso have been killed in attacks by suspected jihadists, sources said on...