MALI
Click here to sign up for free weekly email
Email recaps are sent every Thursdays.
Sign up today
Sahel: Qatar helps dissipate diplomatic tensions between Mali and Algeria
The North Africa Journal - Qatar has demonstrated its diplomatic skills in the Middle East crisis but it has also been quietly active in other regions, such as helping reduce tensions between Mali and Algeria. To recall, the Malian government expressed its anger at...
Sahel: Kidnapped in Libya in 2017, South African medic released this week in Mali
A South African paramedic who had been held by jihadists in Mali for over six years has been released, security and humanitarian sources told AFP on Sunday. Gerco van Deventer, 48, was kidnapped in Libya on November 3, 2017, on his way to a power plant construction...
Rising Storms: The Pact Uniting Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Against Jihadists and Isolation
The military rulers of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have banded together in a joint defence pact to fight jihadists and present a united political front in their declared aim to restore sovereignty. Against a backdrop of a bloody jihadist insurgency in West Africa's...
Mali: The taking of Kidal: Why the town in north Mali is so important
Mali's army has retaken the town of Kidal from Tuareg-dominated rebels. Here we look at the significance of the place which has for years been a northern stronghold for the separatists. - Where and what is Kidal? - Kidal occupies a special place in the geography and...
Mali: Southern Malians celebrate army’s taking of northern city of Kidal
Jubilant Malians have taken to the streets and the ruling junta issued triumphant statements saying the military's takeover of a key rebel-held town validated its strategic choices. The capture of Kidal -- a historic centre of independence insurgencies and a...
Sahel: As France’s presence in the Sahel deteriorates, US maintains ties and remains active
By Arezki Daoud: The United States appears increasingly active in the Sahel, as France experiences a withdrawal of sort. The rise of anti-France juntas is not stopping the US from seeking greater influence, largely to thwart any attempts by Russia and its Wagner mercenaries to gain ground in the troubled Sahel.
Mali: UN withdraws troops adding more instability to the region
UN peacekeepers in Mali announced Monday their pullout has started from two camps in the tense Kidal region, opening a new phase in a forced withdrawal igniting fears fighting will intensify between troops and armed actors. The UN stabilisation mission known as...
Sahel: Touaregs say they seized military site in Gao province
Tuareg rebels on Wednesday claimed to have captured a camp of Mali's armed forces in the north of the country, where clashes have been escalating since August. The Upper Council for Azawad Unity (CUA) said in a brief statement on social networks that the army camp at...
Mali preparing offensive against Tuareg fighters in north of the country
A Malian army convoy was moving closer towards the northern rebel stronghold Kidal on Tuesday, following a resumption of hostilities in the region, military and official sources said. A local official and a soldier in the column, speaking on condition of anonymity,...
Sahel: Burkina’s new leader de-emphasizes importance of election
Elections in Burkina Faso are "not a priority" compared to "security", the country's military leader Captain Ibrahim Traore said Friday on state TV, almost a year to the day after coming to power in a coup. Traore, who had promised a return to democracy with...
Sahel: Full-blown war in central and north Mali
Tuareg-dominated separatist groups said on Saturday that they had inflicted heavy losses on the Malian military in an attack in the troubled country's centre. The rebels said they had counted 98 dead soldiers. The claim came in a statement from the Permanent Strategic...
Mali: Al-Qaeda offshoot intensifies attacks on Mali army
@northafricajournalMali #Lere: An attack on two #military camps in northern #Mali claimed by #Touaregs killed five #soldiers, while 11 others are missing. https://North-Africa.com ♬ original sound - The North Africa Journal The Malian army has reported attacks on two...
Sahel: Mali buries officer killed crash
Mali's ruling junta on Wednesday paid tribute to a lieutenant colonel who relatives say was killed aboard a plane that crashed Saturday in the northern city of Gao. The comments were the first the authorities appear to have made about the incident, which is believed...
Mali: Junta postpones presidential election indefinitely, outrage in Bamako
Malian political groups expressed outrage on Wednesday at the junta's decision to postpone indefinitely the presidential election that was supposed to bring back civilian rule. The ruling junta on Monday announced a delay to a presidential election scheduled for...
Sahel: Mali warns ECOWAS against military action in Niger
Mali "will not stand idly by" if foreign governments intervene in neighouring Niger, Bamako's top diplomat warned the United Nations on Saturday, after both countries' juntas joined a mutual defense pact. Rebel elite soldiers overthrew Niger's president Mohamed Bazoum...
Podcast: And Now the Environment is Major Factor of Instability in North Africa
As we reach the end of the third quarter 2023, about to enter the tail-end of the year, it is difficult to see a bright horizon for the northern half of #Africa. Two major natural disasters, magnified by poor governance and bad infrastructure, caused the death of at...
Mali: Tuaregs say they shot down two military planes, captured soldiers in intensifying conflict
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 Timbuktu
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...
Mali: Touareg group kills five army soldiers in Léré
An attack on two military camps in northern Mali claimed by armed rebel groups killed five soldiers, while 11 others are missing, the army said late Monday. It was the latest attack against army positions in northern Mali, which, in addition to suffering frequent...
Sahel: Army-Tuareg war reignites in north Mali
Opinion by Arezki Daoud: The military junta in Mali is now confronted with the realities of war. It is battling on multiple fronts and not always winning. In the north, its policies and violent approach to problems have reignited a Tuareg rebellion. Mali's government...
Connect
You can find us on a few social media platforms. Feel free to connect with us there.