Sahel Edition

Sahel: Month-long French military campaign in Mali leads to 100 insurgents dead, says France

Posted On 28 January 2021

Number of times this article was read : 134

A hundred jihadists were killed this month in a joint Franco-Malian offensive in the West African country’s lawless centre, the Malian army said Tuesday. “One hundred terrorists were neutralised, about 20 captured and several motorbikes and war  equipment were seized” during the operation with France’s Barkhane force, which aims to eradicate jihadists in the Sahel region, the Malian army said on its website.

Mali has been struggling with a jihadist insurgency that broke out in the north of the country in 2012 before spreading to the centre and then to Burkina Faso and Niger, often inflaming ethnic rivalries. France, Mali’s former colonial ruler, first  intervened in the country in 2013 to help drive back jihadist forces advancing on Bamako. It now has 5,100 troops deployed across Africa’s arid Sahel region, as part of its Barkhane operation.

Earlier this month the French military said it had killed 15 jihadists near Mali’s border with Burkina Faso, where an al-Qaeda-linked group is active.

AFP
Other Articles in this Week's Issue<< Sahel: Feuding herders and farmers in central Mali endorse peace

More on the Sahel

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 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, 

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 gold to pressure the Canadian company.

The North Africa Journal's WhatsApp Group
.
Shield and Alert Sahel

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This