Sahel Edition

Sahel: A Primer on the Northern Mali Crisis



Posted On 23 October 2024

Number of times this article was read : 5748

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, Arab, and Fulani communities. Efforts to seek autonomy in a federal model of government, has met resistance from successive Malian governments, with the junta in power today using the Russian mercenaries of Wagner to increase its repression on of the people of the north. Here is how this conflicted started.

________
This analysis is reserved for clients subscribing to The North Africa Journal Already a subscriber?
Please log in here

Not a subscriber? Take advantage of our lowest subscription rates. Subscribe today

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 ECOWAS, now defies the organization, even expelling its mediation delegation.

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

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.

Brief: Fifteen Migrants Found Dead in a Boat off the Coast of Nouadhibou, Mauritania

Mauritanian authorities discovered a boat near Nouadhibou carrying 39 migrants, including nine deceased and ten in critical condition. Survivors, primarily from Senegal and Mali, reported that fifteen migrants died from exhaustion, though not all bodies were found. The deceased were buried by local authorities. Mauritania has become a key transit point for African migrants attempting to reach Europe via the Canary Islands.

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...