North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
Sahel: Violence in Northern Mali Drives New Wave of Displacement Into Mauritania
More than 3,300 people have fled northern Mali into Mauritania in recent weeks as armed violence, fuel blockades, and civilian abuses intensify, underscoring the deepening humanitarian and security crisis spreading across the Sahel.
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Security: Escalation of Russia-Ukraine war could transform crisis into global conflict
By Amélie Bottolier-Depois: UN chief Antonio Guterres warned nations Monday that he fears the likelihood of further escalation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict means the world is heading towards a "wider war." The secretary-general laid out his priorities for the year...
Mali: New terror attack kills two in the Segou region
A policeman and a civilian were killed and seven were wounded in an attack in jihadist-torn eastern Mali, officials said Wednesday. The attack occurred Tuesday evening at a checkpoint in San, a town some 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of the capital Bamako and about...
Sahel: Mali court convicts unnamed person in killing of UN peacekeepers, issues death sentence
A Malian court has sentenced a man to death over the 2019 killing of three peacekeepers in the south of the country, the UN mission in Mali said on Wednesday. The Bamako criminal court convicted the accused -- who was not named -- on Tuesday of acts of terrorism,...
Sahel: French army to withdraw from Burkina Faso
France said Wednesday it will withdraw its contingent of hundreds of troops stationed in Burkina Faso within a month, after the junta ruling the Sahel country demanded the pullout. The withdrawal will mark the latest scaling down of France's military presence in...
Sahel: Doctor working for WHO in Mali abducted
The World Health Organization said Tuesday that one of its doctors had been abducted in Mali, adding that the motivation behind an attack on his car was unclear. "We deplore the abduction of WHO colleague Dr Mahamadou Diawara, who was taken by unidentified assailants...
Sahel: Soldiers rescue women and babies abducted by suspected jihadists in N. Burkina Faso
By Armel Baily: Soldiers rescued a group of 62 women and four babies abducted by suspected jihadists last week in northern Burkina Faso, state television and a security source said Friday. The news came just hours after security sources said a series of attacks on...
Western Sahara: Brahim Ghali reelected head of Polisario Front
The Polisario Front, which seeks independence for Western Sahara, re-elected its leader Friday in its first vote since the breakdown of a UN-supervised truce with Morocco, which controls most of the disputed territory. Brahim Ghali, 73, was elected to a new three-year...
Sahel: UN peacekeeping mission in Mali at risk amid shortage of troops
By Amélie Bottolier-Depois: The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali is "unsustainable" without more personnel, according to a draft UN report obtained by AFP, which suggests a possible withdrawal of troops if key conditions are not met. The mission, known by its acronym...
Sahel: Jihadist violence intensifies in Burkina Faso
Attacks in Burkina Faso have increased since October and now especially target civilians, according to junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traore, who took power last year on a vow to quell jihadist violence. The extremists are switching tactics to focus on civilians, Traore...
Sahel: Jihadists in Burkina Faso also abduct children and babies
Investigators now believe that last week's raid by suspected jihadists in Burkina Faso led to the abduction of around 60 women, girls and babies, a regional prosecutor said Thursday. Earlier reports had suggested that around 50 women had been taken, said a statement...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Niger: Gunmen kill French tourists in Kouré
Niamey, Aug 9, 2020 - Six French tourists and their local guide and driver were killed Sunday by gunmen riding motorcycles in an area of southwestern Niger that is home to the last West African giraffes, officials said. It is believed to be the first such attack on...
Sahel: Boko Haram hits village in Chad, kills residents
Boko Haram jihadists killed at least 10 civilians and kidnapped seven others in an attack on a village in the troubled Lake Chad region on Friday, an army officer and local official said. "At around 3 am (0200 GMT), Boko Haram fighters attacked the Tenana village...
International court takes up case of Malian man accused of war crimes
The Hague, July 14, 2020 - A Malian jihadist police chief committed "unimaginable crimes" during a reign of terror in the fabled shrine city of Timbuktu, prosecutors told the International Criminal Court at the start of his trial Tuesday. Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag...
Morocco: Four arrested in Nador on suspicion of terrorism
Rabat, July 7, 2020 - Morocco on Tuesday arrested four alleged members of a "terrorist cell" linked to the Islamic State group who had plotted to attack "sensitive sites" in the kingdom, the interior ministry said. The men, aged between 21 and 26, were arrested in...
Mali: New massacre in Mopti’s Bandiagara region
Unidentified armed men massacred 31 civilians in simultaneous attacks on several Mali villages this week, then killed nine soldiers responding to the assault as violence surges in the country's conflict-wracked centre. An Islamist insurgency that erupted in the north...
France’s massive challenges in the Sahel
France is increasingly optimistic about the effectiveness of its anti-jihadist campaign in the Sahel, but experts caution that short-term successes will not by themselves bring lasting victory. President Emmanuel Macron will travel to the Mauritanian capital...
Algeria: Two more troops killed in counterinsurgency sweep in Medea
Algiers, June 28, 2020 - Two Algerian soldiers, including an officer, were killed when a bomb exploded during an army operation in the north of the country, the defence ministry said Sunday. Captain Fateh Bensmail and Sergeant Zakaria Khaldi were killed Saturday...
Libya: Sudan captures alleged mercenaries headed to Libya
Sudan said Sunday it has arrested 122 of its nationals as they headed to neighbouring Libya to fight as "mercenaries", state media reported. Libya's UN-recognised unity government has long accused Sudan of sending fighters to back military strongman Khalifa Haftar who...
Mali: Two UN troops killed in attack in Tarkint
Bamako, June 14, 2020 - Gunmen have killed two UN peacekeepers in a region of northwestern Mali wracked by jihadist violence, the UN said Sunday. A UN convoy travelling between the towns of Tessalit and Gao was attacked Saturday evening by "armed individuals" who...
Sahel: Week after death of Jihadist leader, insurgents ambush troops in central Mali, kill dozens
Bamako, June 15, 2020 - Around 40 Malian troops were dead or listed as missing after their convoy was ambushed in central Mali, military sources said on Monday, blaming the assault on jihadists. About a dozen vehicles came under attack on Sunday at Bouka Were, some...