Security & Defense Bound

Egypt is advancing defense-industrial cooperation with China through localized production, joint exercises, and expanded military training links. Developments during 2025 point to a pragmatic effort by Cairo to diversify suppliers and strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity, while Beijing cautiously broadens engagement beyond conventional arms sales.

Three soldiers loyal to Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar were killed and several others captured in coordinated attacks on border posts near Niger, underscoring how southern Libya has become a key fault line in the country’s fractured security landscape. Fighters claiming to represent “revolutionaries of the South” say they are targeting Haftar’s forces over dire living conditions and alleged resource plunder, as cross-border armed groups test the limits of state control from Al-Tum to the Salvador Pass.

Egypt appears to have shifted from diplomatic broker to covert combatant in Sudan’s war, with new evidence pointing to drone and air strikes launched from a secret base in the Western Desert. Satellite imagery, flight logs and investigations indicate that Egypt has established a covert airbase at the East Oweinat agricultural project, roughly 65 kilometers from the Sudanese border, to launch strikes against Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targets deep inside Sudan. The operations mark Egypt’s evolution from cautious mediator to active, if deniable, belligerent on the side of Sudan’s Armed Forces, as the conflict becomes the focal point of widening regional proxy rivalries involving the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.

An overnight assault on the air base embedded in Niamey’s international airport has pushed Niger’s crisis into the capital, wounding soldiers and damaging civilian aircraft. The United States has ordered non‑essential diplomatic staff to leave, while other governments tighten “avoid all travel” warnings, signaling a broader reassessment of risk. As Niamey accuses foreign states and militants claim responsibility, the episode underscores how security, regime politics, and great‑power rivalry now collide in the Sahel.