North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
Flashpoints: How Emirati and Qatari Competition Is Redrawing the Red Sea Map
A low-profile but consequential rivalry between the United Arab Emirates and Qatar is reshaping access to the Red Sea. Through competing alliances, port investments, and security partnerships, both Gulf states are extending their influence across the Horn of Africa. At the center of this struggle lies Somaliland, whose strategic coastline, port infrastructure, and political status have become critical factors in a broader contest involving regional and extra-regional powers.
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Sahel: German soldiers resume reconnaissance patrols in Mali
Germany has resumed reconnaissance patrols in eastern Mali as part of a UN peacekeeping mission, the military said Wednesday, after suspending the operations last month when the Malian government denied flyover rights. "Reconnaissance operations outside the city of...
Sahel: Region of Talataye in Mali falls in the hands of Islamic State affiliate after bitter fight with Al Qaeda
Jihadists affiliated to the Islamic State group have seized a town in northern Mali after bitter fighting with local rebels and rival militants linked to Al-Qaeda, several sources said Wednesday. The insurgents on Tuesday took Talataye, a town 150 kilometres (90...
Sahel: Insurgency in northern Burkina Faso worsens
By Armel Baily At least 35 civilians were killed and 37 wounded Monday when an IED blast struck a convoy carrying supplies in Burkina Faso's jihadist-hit north, the governor of the Sahel region said. The landlocked African state is in the grip of a seven-year-old...
Tunisia: Clash in Mount Salloum near Algeria leaves three IS Jihadists dead
The Tunisian army said Friday it had killed three jihadists linked to the Islamic State group, during an operation in the country's west. The men, members of the "Soldiers of the Caliphate" group, were killed during a morning operation in the Mount Salloum area near...
Libya: Apparent calm hides potential for more violence
There is potential for new violence in Libya, a United Nations official said Tuesday, as the country faces delays in moving toward elections. Rosemary DiCarlo, under-secretary-general for political and peacekeeping affairs, told the Security Council she was worried...
Sahel: Intense violence in Mali sends thousands fleeing
Tens of thousands of people, many of them children, have fled to a town in northeastern Mali after fighting erupted in the jihadist-torn region, a local official said Wednesday. Since March, more than 65,000 people have arrived in the town of Menaka near the border...
Sahel: UN reports killing of civilians in a Mali army attack involving foreign troops
At least 50 civilians were killed and hundreds arrested in central Mali in April during an operation by the army and "foreign" personnel, the UN's peacekeeping mission said Wednesday. There was no immediate response from Mali's authorities to the allegations, just...
Sahel: Burkina Faso military launches counterinsurgency operations in the north
A soldier has been killed and at least 28 "terrorists neutralised" in two military operations in the north and east of Burkina Faso, the army said Monday. The landlocked Sahel state is in the grip of a seven-year-old insurgency that has claimed more than 2,000 lives...
Libya: Dozens killed in militia clashes in Tripoli
By Hamza Mekouar Flights resumed and shops re-opened in Libya's capital Tripoli on Sunday after clashes between backers of rival governments killed at least 32 people and sparked fears of major new conflict. Armed groups had exchanged fire that damaged several...
Sahel: Togo confronted with Jihadi movement from the Sahel
Togo's armed forces said Tuesday they had repelled a "terrorist" attack that injured "several" soldiers in the far northern village of Blamonga on the border with Burkina Faso. The attack, which took place on Monday, was the fifth in the country since last year, as...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Sahel: JNIM attacks Mali outpost near Mauritania, kills 20 troops
Sahel: Insurgents raid Silgadji village in Burkina Faso, kill at least ten
Sahel: Concern in France as US military prepares to reduce its presence in the Sahel
Washington, Jan 27, 2020 - French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly warned Monday that expected cuts to the Pentagon's African operations would hamper efforts against jihadist groups, especially in the Sahel region. But US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper made clear...
US court sentences Libyan to 19 years in jail for Benghazi attack
Washington, Jan 24, 2020 - A 47-year-old Libyan man who was captured by US special forces in Libya and brought to the United States for trial was sentenced to prison on Thursday for his role in the 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi. Mustafa al-Imam, who was...
Libya: Crude production collapses as warlord Haftar maintains blockade of oil sites
Tripoli, Jan 25, 2020 - Libya's oil production has plunged by around three-quarters since forces loyal to military strongman Khalifa Haftar launched a blockade a week ago, the National Oil Company announced Saturday. The fall, from 1.2 million barrels a day to just...
Libya: the collapsing public health system in Tripoli
Tripoli, Jan 22, 2020 - By Jihad Dhorgham: "The pressure was unbearable," said doctor Mohamad al-Rajehi, recalling a night early this month when an air strike on a military school completely overwhelmed his public hospital in Libya's capital. Al-Khadra, one of the...
Sahel: France takes more steps toward conflict escalation in the Sahel
Opinion by Arezki Daoud: (you can also listen the opinion by clicking on the audio player above) | France's hawks, those who like to project the image of a superpower, are hoping for some miracle tipping point to take place in the Sahel. Their latest idea is to...
Sahel: IED kills two soldiers in Mopti, Mali
Bamako, Jan 22, 2020 - Two Malian soldiers were killed and two were wounded by a roadside bomb, an army spokesman said Wednesday, in the latest violence to hit volatile central Mali. The soldiers were travelling to the town of Douentza, in the central region of...
Libya: Tripoli’s sole functioning airport, Mitiga, shuts down after Haftar launches rocket attack
Tripoli, Jan 22, 2020 - Rocket fire forced the suspension of all flights into and out of Tripoli's sole functioning airport on Wednesday, only nine days after it reopened following a truce, Libya's embattled UN-recognised government said. Mitiga airport had reopened...
Sahel: Insurgents raid villages in north Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou, Jan 21, 2020 - Militants killed 36 civilians when they attacked villages in northern Burkina Faso, the government said Tuesday, appealing for local volunteers to bolster its fight against jihadists. A "terrorist group" killed 32 civilians when they...