North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
Egypt Moves to Shore Up Somalia as Regional Alignments Shift in the Horn of Africa
Egypt has expanded the scope of its military and security engagement in Somalia following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, a self-declared breakaway region on the Gulf of Aden. Egyptian officials view the move as part of a broader shift in Horn of Africa geopolitics that could affect Red Sea security, Nile water negotiations, and regional power balances.
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Chad: Army and FNDJT fighters clashing in Tibesti region
Government forces and rebels clashed for a week in a desert region of northern Chad, according to conflicting tolls from both sides. The mountainous Tibesti region is a traditional battleground between the army and rebel groups that have sought for years to oust the...
Sahel: Over 16 million people need aid in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger
More than 16 million people affected by conflict and climate change in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger need humanitarian aid, according to an NGO report published on Monday. This represents a 172 percent rise on 2016, the US International Rescue Committee said in its...
Morocco: Dozen Israeli soldiers in Morocco for military exercises
Israeli soldiers will for the first time take part in military exercises in Morocco when the biggest war games event in Africa kicks off Tuesday, the Israeli army said. "This is the first time that the IDF is taking an active part in the 'African Lion' international...
Egyptian policeman clashes with Israeli soldiers, kills three
Three Israeli soldiers and a member of Egypt's security forces were killed Saturday in a rare exchange of fire near the border between the two countries, official sources from both sides said. The Israeli army said an Egyptian assailant shot dead two soldiers "in the...
Libya: Two militia groups aligned with Tripoli government clash in Tripoli, spread terror
Gunshots rang out in Libya's capital on Monday following hours of fighting between two armed groups both aligned with the divided country's UN-backed government, local medics and media reported. Several residents in Tripoli were lightly wounded in the clashes which...
Libya uses drones to attack smugglers in west of the country
Forces of Libya's Tripoli-based government launched drone strikes against suspected smuggling sites in the country's west Friday as they pursued a campaign begun over a week ago, local media reported. "Strikes targeted Zuwara" some 120 kilometres (75 miles) west of...
Bourkina Faso: 50 insurgents killed in Loroum as they tried to ambush food convoy
Two civilians and at least 50 "terrorists" were killed in jihadist-hit northern Burkina Faso when a food convoy being escorted by troops was ambushed, the armed forces said on Thursday. The incident happened on Wednesday near Tibou in Loroum province bordering Mali,...
Burkina Faso junta likely to delay return to civilian rule, rejects talks with insurgents
Photo: PM Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla: Burkina Faso's prime minister on Tuesday ruled out negotiations with jihadist insurgents who control swathes of the country, while suggesting that security risks could delay the country's return to civilian rule. His...
Tunisia says it arrested five “IS militants” in Sfax
Tunisia's national guard on Friday announced the arrest of a suspected Islamic State group member in possession of explosives who was planning "four simultaneous terrorist operations" in the country. The suspect was arrested in Tunisia's second city of Sfax on its...
Sahel: Another bloody Sunday in Burkina Faso
More than a dozen people, thought to be mostly shepherds, have been killed in an attack in eastern Burkina Faso, security and local sources told AFP on Monday. On Sunday "several dozen terrorists attacked the outskirts of Kompienga" -- the capital of the province of...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Libya: Interior minister Fathi Bashagha escapes assassination attempt
The powerful interior minister of Libya's unity government survived an assassination attempt Sunday, an aide said, sparking fears of resurgent violence despite UN-led peace efforts. Fathi Bashagha's convoy "was fired on from an armoured car while he was on the...
Tunisia: IS claims killing of 4 Tunisia soldiers near Mount Mghila
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the February 3 killing of four soldiers in a rugged region of central Tunisia, SITE Intelligence Group reported. The US monitor of jihadist groups said late Thursday that the soldiers were killed in three blasts...
Libya: Mortar attack on Sebha kills child
The United Nations on Wednesday condemned a suspected "targeted mortar attack" in southern Libya that it said killed a child and wounded 29 people. The reported attack in the Sebha region, some 650 kilometres (400 miles) south of the capital Tripoli, took place on...
Sahel: No French troop drawdown from the Sahel, Macron announces escalation ahead
Macron says France to “decapitate” Al-Qaeda in the Sahel France will intensify its efforts to help "decapitate" Qaeda-linked groups in the Sahel, President Emmanuel Macron told regional leaders via video conference on Tuesday, according to AFP. Macron said the efforts...
Sahel: UN peacekeepers from Togo wounded in attack near Kerena in Mali
Around 20 United Nations peacekeepers were wounded in an attack on their base in central Mali on Wednesday, a UN spokesperson said, offering a provisional toll. Unidentified militants attacked a temporary base near Kerena, a village in the war-torn centre of the...
Algeria: High-profile trial of terror group involved in murder of French hiker postponed
A trial in Algeria over the murder of French mountaineer Herve Gourdel by jihadists in 2014 was postponed Thursday due to the prime suspect's ill health, judicial sources said. Abdelmalek Hamzaoui, an alleged jihadist, had arrived at court for the opening hearing of...
Mali: Insurgents in armored vehicles kill ten Mali soldiers in Boni
Ten troops were killed in Mali's troubled central region early Wednesday when their camp came under attack from jihadists, security sources said. Their position at Boni, located between Douentza and Hombori in the Mopti region, was attacked by "heavily armed...
Tunisia: Soldiers killed in blast during anti-terror sweep at Mount Mghila
A landmine killed four Tunisian soldiers on Wednesday during an counter-terrorism operation in mountainous central Tunisia, the defence ministry said. "Four soldiers who were part of a military unit tasked with carrying out a combing operation of Mount Mghila looking...
Sahel: More unrest in Mali with the killing of six soldiers in Boulkessy and Mondoro
Twin attacks on the army in central Mali killed six soldiers, while some 30 suspected jihadists were also left dead in a fightback with help from French troops, the military said Sunday. The attacks occurred overnight Saturday to Sunday near the border with Burkina...
Burkina Faso: Abbot Rodrigue Sanon found dead in the Cascades region
A priest missing since Tuesday in Burkina Faso's jihadist-plagued southwest has been found dead, security and local sources said Thursday. "The priest's lifeless body was found in the Toumousseni Forest" in the Cascades region bordering Ivory Coast and Mali, a...