Maghreb Edition
Brief: MEA Risk LLC | 10 June 2019: On 8 June, in Raz El Ma area of Timbuktu, French forces of Operation Barkhane raided a suspicious vehicle. Three people, a father and two sons, were killed.
According to a community leader, the people killed were just ordinary civilians who did not pose any threat. The community is demanding that justice be rendered and called for an international investigation to establish the facts.
Morocco is facing its largest wave of unrest in years, with mass protests erupting across major cities demanding better hospitals, schools, and an end to corruption.
Niger’s military authorities have authorized the removal and transport of uranium from the SOMAÏR mine at Arlit without the involvement of longtime operator Orano, prompting the French nuclear group to denounce the shipment as illegal and in breach of a September 2025 World Bank–linked arbitration ruling. While Niamey signals plans to sell the stock on the open market as an assertion of resource sovereignty, the move raises legal, safety, and security concerns as uranium travels by road through conflict‑affected Sahel corridors.
A new IFOP survey reports rising religious engagement among young Muslims in France, sparking debate over interpretation, context, and the risks of overstating political meaning in faith-related polling.
In the span of a few hours on December 7, a small group of soldiers in Benin, West Africa, moved from night‑time attacks on senior officers’ homes to a televized announcement claiming they had removed President Patrice Talon and suspended the constitution. Forces loyal to the government swiftly retook the national broadcaster and key positions in Cotonou, and authorities now say the coup attempt has been defeated even as some officers remain missing and questions about the mutineers’ support network persist.
