North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism

Niger: More Russian Weapons and Military Instructors Land in Niamey
The departure of the French and American troops from Niger created an opportunity for the Russians to replace them. The Russians’ objective is to clearly counter the west and reduce its influence in the Sahel, West Africa and elsewhere on the African continent. The...
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Burkina Faso coup leader Ibrahim Traore crows himself country’s president
Captain Ibrahim Traore was appointed as president of Burkina Faso on Wednesday, according to an official statement, after the West African country's second coup in less than nine months. Traore has been appointed as "Head of State, Supreme Head of the Armed Forces",...
Sahel: Concerned about Russia’s presence in the Sahel, US warns Burkina Faso’s new junta
The United States on Tuesday warned Burkina Faso's junta of the risks of allying with Russia, whose shadowy Wagner paramilitary group has voiced robust support for the latest coup. "Countries where the group has been deployed find themselves weaker and less secure,...
Burkina Faso: As regime in Ouagadougou collapsed last week, terror attack claimed 37 lives up north
A total of 27 troops and 10 civilians were killed in a suspected jihadist attack in northern Burkina Faso last week, the military said on Wednesday. Military search operations carried out since the attack on September 26 "have made it possible to establish the death...
Morocco: Dozen alleged Jihadists arrested in Melilla and Nador
Moroccan and Spanish police have dismantled a jihadist cell suspected of links to the Islamic State group, officials said Tuesday. The operation led to the arrest of 11 people in raids on Tuesday morning: nine in the Spanish enclave of Melilla on Morocco's northern...
Burkina Faso: Deposed junta leader Colonel Damiba steps down, flees to Togo
By Olympia de Maismont with Pierre Donadieu in Abidjan: Burkina Faso's junta leader agreed to step down on Sunday, religious and community leaders said, two days after army officers announced his ouster in a coup that sparked internal unrest and international...
Libya: Another gruesome mass grave unearthed in city of Sirte
Forty-two bodies have been found in a mass grave in the Libyan city of Sirte, an ex-stronghold of the Islamic State group, the country's missing persons authority said Sunday. Exhumation teams unearthed "42 unidentified bodies" after following up reports of a "mass...
Sahel: Burkina Faso coup leader removed by another coup
By Olympia de Maismont with Pierre Donadieu in Abidjan: Security forces fired tear gas to disperse angry protesters outside the French embassy in Burkina Faso's capital on Sunday, as unrest simmered in the impoverished West African nation following a reported second...
Sahel: Regime in Chad abandons path to democracy, junta leader Deby seeks perpetual reign
Chad on Saturday extended the transition period to democratic elections and agreed junta leader Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno could run on the ballot, despite international opposition. The decisions were made by a national reconciliation dialogue forum, which has been...
Sahel: Uncertainty in Ouagadougou as Burkina Faso descends into chaos
By Olympia de Maismont with Pierre Donadieu in Abidjan: Shots rang out before dawn on Friday around Burkina Faso's presidential palace and headquarters of the military junta, which itself seized power in a coup last January, witnesses told AFP. The government said...
Tunisia: Hundreds of policemen protesting after colleagues were arrested for demanding right to unionize
More than 200 police officers protested in Tunisia's second city of Sfax on Wednesday to demand the release of eight arrested colleagues and defend their right to unionise, an AFP correspondent said. Responding to a call from the SNSI police union, the plainclothes...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Libya: With their protégé warlord Haftar losing the war, Egypt and UAE want a ceasefire
The United Arab Emirates on Monday backed an Egyptian peace initiative in Libya after a series of military victories by forces loyal to Tripoli's UN-recognised government against strongman Khalifa Haftar. Haftar -- who is backed by the UAE and Egypt -- also supported...
Libya: Warlord Khalifa Haftar uses landmines against civilians in Tripoli
Tripoli, June 3, 2020 - Human Rights Watch on Wednesday accused Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar's forces of laying Russian landmines in residential southern suburbs of the capital. "An armed group and affiliates fighting for control of the Libyan capital...
Burkina Faso: Insurgents ambush vendors in Loroum, kill 15
At least 15 civilians have been killed in northern Burkina Faso during an attack attributed to jihadists, the government said Saturday. "The provisional toll mentions 15 dead, wounded and people missing as well as significant material damage," said communications...
Niger: Refugee camp in the Tahoua attacked, three killed
Jihadists carried out a coordinated attack on a camp housing thousands of Malian refugees in western Niger, killing three civilians, abducting a guard and sabotaging the water supply, the United Nations said Monday. Around 50 jihadists launched a "well-planned...
Libya: Russia may be escalating conflict in Libya with more support for warlord Haftar
Berlin, May 26, 2020 - Russia recently sent fighter jets to Libya to support Russian mercenaries fighting for strongman Khalifa Haftar, the US military command for Africa (Africom) said Tuesday, in a major escalation in the long-running conflict. The military fighter...
Libya: Warlord Haftar’s IEDs kill civilians in southern Tripoli
Tripoli, May 26, 2020 - The United Nations has deplored the "grotesque" use of improvised explosive devices against civilians in Libya's capital Tripoli, the scene of more than a year of deadly fighting. The UN mission in Libya said it "strongly condemns these acts,...
Burkina Faso: Al-Qaeda-affiliate claims responsibility for attack in Loroum
Ouagadougou, May 20, 2020 - Two Burkina Faso soldiers and five civilian defence volunteers have been killed during an ambush on a military patrol in the restive north of the country, security sources said Tuesday. The attack occurred on Monday as soldiers from the...
Niger: Insurgents attack Blabrine base near Diffa town
Niamey, May 19, 2020 - Twelve soldiers have been killed in a Boko Haram attack on a military outpost in Niger's Diffa region, scene of recent clashes with jihadist fighters, the defence ministry said Tuesday. The attack by "Boko Haram terrorists" overnight Monday on...
Mali: War rages near border with Burkina Faso ($)
Bamako, May 15, 2020 - Malian troops have killed some 30 militants in a raid, the army said on Friday, in the latest violence in the war-torn West African state. The country's armed forces said on Twitter that they had killed "about 30 terrorists" near the border with...
Libya: Warlord Haftar’s favorite target: unprotected civilians ($)
Tripoli, May 15, 2020 - Seventeen attacks have been recorded since January against health facilities in Tripoli and its suburbs, the scene of deadly fighting for over a year, the UN mission in Libya said Friday. There have been "17 attacks/shelling on health...