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Desert Locusts Stir Fresh Worries in North-West Africa$

Agricultural authorities in several parts of North and West Africa are maintaining surveillance for desert locust activity following recent reports of small swarms detected near Algeria’s southwestern border. The monitoring reflects the importance of the western...

Niger: Armed Attacks Target Military Bases in Tahoua$

In the early hours of March 9, 2026, armed militants launched coordinated assaults on military facilities in Tahoua, a city in northwestern Niger located about 500 kilometers east of Niamey. The attacks targeted both the local airport and nearby military...

Niger: Roadside Bomb Kills Civilians Near Baroua in Diffa Region$

An improvised explosive device struck a mixed transport vehicle near Baroua in Niger’s Diffa region at around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 10, killing at least eight people at the scene and injuring others, according to local accounts. The blast destroyed the...

Sahel: Surging Jihadist Violence Batters the Sahel, Exposing Government Weakness$

Jihadist violence has surged across the Sahel, with militants overrunning military bases, ambushing convoys, and forcing civilians to negotiate with armed groups for survival. Hardest hit are conflict corridors in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and northeastern Nigeria, where blockades and insecurity have left millions displaced or trapped in besieged communities.

Mali: Ongoing Attacks Prompt Longer Curfew in Western Mali$

Kayes in western Mali will continue under a nighttime curfew throughout October, as authorities respond to a series of attacks by armed groups and work to limit the threat of insurgent violence.

Jihadist Expansion Threatens Coastal West AfricaF

The Sahel is confronting an intensifying insurgency that continues to evolve in scale and complexity. Armed groups such as the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) are adapting and adjusting their...

Sahel: Terror Groups Gain Ground as Armies Struggle to Contain ThemF

Al-Qaeda’s Sahel branch (GSIM) is now emerging as the region’s dominant jihadist force. Even the brutal Islamic State has been largely unable to contain SGIM’s expansion, which has been expanding its control across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.