North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
Sahel: Foreign Workers Targeted in New Mali Kidnappings
A string of recent kidnappings in western and northern Mali—including the abduction of five Indian technicians and an Emirati businessman—highlights the increasing risks for foreign workers engaged in energy, mining, and infrastructure projects. The evolving tactics of armed groups and complex negotiation processes have led companies to overhaul security protocols and adjust operations to cope with persistent threats.
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Sahel: Russia Replaces Wagner in Mali Under Pressure from Algeria, Touaregs Brace
With Wagner stepping aside, the Africa Corps is moving in, bringing structure and legitimacy to Moscow’s support for Bamako. Touareg leaders, fearing a more efficient and state-backed force, have begun testing quiet understandings with jihadist factions like GSIM. It’s not a formal alliance, but a sign of growing desperation in a region where alliances shift quickly and survival often overrides ideology.
Sahel: Russia Reorganizes in Mali: Wagner Withdraws, Africa Corps Moves In
Russia has replaced the Wagner Group in Mali with its new Africa Corps, signaling a shift toward a more controlled and official military presence focused on training and intelligence. While the tactics may look different, Moscow’s long-term ambitions in the region remain very much the same—just better dressed.
Facing Regional Instability, Algeria Introduces Mobilization Law in Line with Global Practices
Amid rising regional tensions, Algeria is updating its defense laws with a proposed general mobilization bill that would allow for the rapid transition from peacetime to wartime readiness. The law outlines scenarios triggering full national mobilization, mandates civilian compliance, and grants sweeping powers to authorities in times of imminent threat or aggression.
North Africa Defense: Morocco Gets Surface-to-Air Missiles, Algeria-Mauritania Sign Defense Pact
April 2025 has seen a notable series of military developments across North Africa, where rivalries and competition for influence are adding more stress.From U.S. missile sales to Morocco to new defense agreements between Algeria and Mauritania, the regional defense landscape is worrying but geopolitical competition will likely continue to exacerbate tensions.
Franco-Algerian relations set to worsen over planned military maneuvers in Morocco
Algeria summoned the French Ambassador to protest the planned “Chergui 2025” Franco-Moroccan military exercises scheduled for September near the Algerian border. Tensions between the nations have escalated following France’s support for Morocco’s position on Western Sahara.
Morocco Busts ‘Lions of the Caliphate’ Terror Cell After Yearlong Probe
Moroccan security services arrested 12 operatives of the so-called “Lions of the Caliphate in the Maghreb Al-Aqsa” after a yearlong investigation. Authorities say the terror cell, linked to Daesh in the Sahel, had a weapons cache in Errachidia and planned attacks in Morocco.
Sahel: France Concludes Military Presence in Chad
France has officially ended its military presence in Chad, returning the Kossei base to the Chadian government. This marks the end of a long-standing French military footprint in the Sahel after similar exits from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
France’s decades-long military presence in Africa is winding down
France’s decades-long military presence in Africa is winding down as countries like Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire announce the closure of foreign bases, signaling a shift in regional dynamics and France’s influence.
Could Syria Avoid a Repeat of the Libyan Disaster: Opinion by Arezki Daoud
What is happening in Syria today reflects a nation at a crossroads. The decades-long grip of the Assad family has ended, ushering in both relief and a new wave of challenges.
Sahel: Inside Chad’s Risky Alliance in Sudan’s Conflict
Chadian President Mahamat Déby’s support for Sudan’s Hemedti amid the Sudanese conflict has sparked tension at home, risking political instability and opposition within Chad’s military and ruling elite.
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Sahel: Gunmen kill dozen civilians in Niger’s Tillaberi region
Gunmen have attacked two villages in Niger's vast Tillaberi border region, killing a dozen people working in the fields, security and local sources told AFP on Friday. "There were 12 deaths following the attack on Thursday afternoon by armed men," a municipal official...
Sahel: Niger-French troops arrest two alleged IS fighters
Two leading jihadists from the Islamic State's Sahel affiliate have been arrested in a joint operation by Niger and French forces, a senior security source said Monday. The two members of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) were captured in western Niger on...
Burkina Faso: Attackers kill civilians in the Sahel Province
An armed attack in northern Burkina Faso, an area plagued by jihadist violence, has left about 10 civilians dead, security and local sources told AFP on Thursday. A large group of armed men descended on the village of Sampelga, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the...
Mali: MINUSMA convoy attacked near Gao
Armed men attacked a logistics convoy of the UN mission in the north of Mali on Thursday, a source at the UN peacekeeping mission told AFP. "Unidentified armed individuals opened fire against a logistics convoy of the Minusma force moving from the (locality of)...
Mali: Civilians killed by terrorists in Gabero region
At least 13 civilians have been killed by suspected jihadists in chronically unstable northern Mali, elected officials who requested anonymity said on Wednesday. "The provisional toll is now 13 dead, a dozen wounded and hundreds of people fleeing several villages in...
Sahel: Al-Qaeda-linked group claims deadly Mali attack on UN peacekeepers
An Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for an attack last week in Mali's deeply troubled north that killed two United Nations peacekeepers. Mali has been grappling with a political and security crisis since 2012 when separatist and...
Sahel: Second UN peacekeeper dies after attack in Mali
A UN peacekeeper has died of wounds sustained in an attack last week in Mali, raising the death toll in the assault to two, the United Nations said Monday. Mali has been grappling with a political and security crisis since 2012 when separatist and jihadist rebellions...
Mali: Attack in Tombouctou claims life of UN peacekeeper
Today, 09/06, one of our patrols near #Ber town, North of #Mali was targeted by a complex attack. It encountered an Improvised Explosive Device followed by a direct arm fire attack . Preliminary information: 1 #peacekeeper killed and 4 seriously injured. Updates will...
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,...
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...