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West Africa: ECOWAS in turmoil

West Africa's economic grouping, ECOWAS, faces a new crisis as former chairman and Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo refuses to step down despite his mandate ending on February 27, 2025.  Embalo, who once criticized Sahelian coup leaders on behalf of...

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 dominant jihadist force. Even the brutal Islamic State has been largely unable to contain JNIM's expansion, which has been expanding its control...

Mali Keeps Pressuring Algeria, Accusing it of Interference

Mali has accused Algeria of interference and supporting terrorist groups after top Algerian diplomat criticized its counter-terrorism strategy. Bamako alleges Algeria maintains ties to insurgent groups, a reference to the Toureg tribes, [am4show have='g1;'...

Sahel: Mali and Canadian mining firm Barrick are talking again

Mali’s junta and Canadian gold mining firm Barrick Gold went back to the negotiating table to find a compromise in their ongoing feud.  The two spent months fighting over the Loulo-Gounkoto gold mine, where the Malian authorities recently seized nearly three tons of...

Sahel: France Concludes Military Presence in Chad

France has officially ended its military presence in Chad, returning the Kossei base to the Chadian government.  This marks the end of a long-standing French military footprint in the Sahel after similar exits from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. [am4show have='g1;'...

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,...
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Niger and Algeria recall their ambassadors over undocumented migrants

The authorities in Niger summoned the Algerian ambassador Bekhadda Mehdi on 2 April, over Algeria’s treatment of undocumented migrants originating from Niger.  In return, two days later Algeria also summoned the ambassador of the Republic of Niger in Algiers, Aminou...
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Sahel: Wagner Group and Mali army engaging in mass murder and forced displacement of northern populations

The Wagner Group is wracking havoc in northern Mali, with actions that hint on ongoing efforts to depopulate the region. Human rights abuses against local population are being committed by both the Malian national army and its Russian contractors from the Wagner...
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Mauritania: Christian group released from detention, expelled from Mauritania

Media sources report that 15 Christians leaders and their families who were arrested by Mauritania at the end of November 2023, were released on 18 December. The group was arrested following the release on social media of a video filmed in Mauritania showing a baptism...
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