North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
Libya’s Path to Stability: Still Blocked by Fragmentation and Armed Rivalries
Libya ends 2025 still divided between rival governments and dominated by militias. Clashes, rights abuses, and stalled reforms keep the security outlook fragile. Limited local elections show resilience, but lasting stability depends on unified institutions and accountability.
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Sahel: Eight UN peacekeepers wounded in Mali blast
Eight UN peacekeepers were wounded Thursday in a mine explosion in Mali's jihadist-wracked Timbuktu region, the United Nations said. They were part of the Burkinabe contingent of the MINUSMA peacekeeping force, a UN official told AFP on condition of anonymity....
Sahel: Russian mercenaries of the Wagner Group take over base left by French military in Mali
Russian mercenaries arrived in the Malian town of Menaka on Wednesday just days after France's military pullout from the site, sources briefed on the matter told AFP. France handed back the military base in northeastern Mali on Monday, as part of its withdrawal from...
Libya: ICC confirms death of militia leader Mahmoud al-Werfalli
The International Criminal Court on Wednesday confirmed the death of wanted war crimes suspect and Libyan militia leader Mahmoud al-Werfalli, saying it was dropping the case against him. The decision by the Hague-based tribunal comes more than a year after reports...
Sahel: French forces withdraw from Menaka base in northern Mali
French troops were on Monday handing back a military base in northeastern Mali ahead of a final withdrawal from the Sahel nation, France's army said, after nine years fighting a jihadist insurgency. The UN emissary there warned that the French withdrawal could leave...
Libya: New militia violence in Tripoli
A night of clashes between militias in the heart of a residential district of the Libyan capital Tripoli raised fears on Saturday of escalating violence in the conflict-riven country. The intense fighting that erupted late Friday between two armed groups that back...
Moroccan national captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine
Pro-Moscow separatists sentenced to death two British fighters and a third from Morocco, who were captured by Russian troops while fighting for Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported on Thursday. The "supreme court of the Donetsk People's Republic" ordered the death...
Sahel: Jihadists surround Mali town of Boni
Jihadists have since late May blockaded the central Malian town of Boni and interrupted traffic on a major highway in the region, the UN and several local sources say. "Since May 25, 2022, extremist armed groups have prevented the movement of people and goods in this...
Sahel: Mali launches military offensive to retake town of Anderamboukane from insurgents
Malian forces and local armed groups have launched a bid to recapture a jihadist-held border town in a region where hundreds of civilians have died in the past few months, sources there say. Fighting has been unfolding over the last few days at the strategic town of...
Togo: Al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM claims May attack in Togo
A Mali-based coalition of Al-Qaeda aligned militants has claimed responsibility for an attack in Togo last month, the SITE Intelligence monitoring group said on Friday. The Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) has been expanding geographically, threatening...
Sahel: Six killed in attacks on Burkina security forces
Two soldiers and four civilian volunteers with Burkina Faso's security forces have been killed in clashes with suspected jihadists, army headquarters said on Thursday. A soldier and four Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP) were killed on Thursday in...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Libya: UN panel says no trace of Sudanese RSF mercenaries in Libya
United Nations, United States, Jan 20, 2020 - A United Nations panel said Monday it had no "credible evidence" of Sudanese paramilitaries fighting in conflict-wracked Libya for military strongman Khalifa Haftar as alleged by some media outlets. Several Libyan and...
Sahel: Insecurity forces Niger to halt voter registration in troubled regions
Niamey, Jan 21, 2020 - Niger's election commission said Tuesday it had suspended a voter registration drive in a western border region buffeted by jihadist insurgents. The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) said because of security circumstances in the...
Libya: Haftar under pressure to resume oil exports
Tripoli, Jan 21, 2020 - The United States called Tuesday for an immediate resumption of Libya's lifeline oil exports that have been blocked by forces loyal to military strongman Khalifa Haftar since last week. "The suspension of National Oil Corporation (NOC)...
Sahel: Boko Haram kills more civilians in western Chad
N'Djamena, Jan 20, 2020 - Nine civilians died in western Chad after a female suicide bomber detonated her explosives in an area targeted in the past by jihadist group Boko Haram, the army and officials said on Monday. Chad is one of the countries struggling with the...
Africa: More violence in northern Nigeria
Kano, Nigeria, Jan 20, 2020 - Heavily armed jihadists have carried out an "extremely violent" attack on a vital aid facility housing United Nations workers in northeast Nigeria, the UN said Monday. No aid workers were harmed in the assault, but a military source said...
Libya: The Berlin conference outcome suggests no peace in Libya
Opinion by Arezki Daoud: All the roads leading to Tripoli are paved with landmines. The Berlin conference was a great initiative, and kudos to Angele Merkel for trying. But I fear it ended with no major progress and clear signs that the violence will not end anytime...
Libya: Pro-Haftar militia shuts down pipelines leading to export terminals
UPDATE: Gunmen known for their support to Khalifa Haftar closed on Sunday morning halted the flow of crude oil by shutting down the pipelines that reach the Zawiya port. The closure came after tribes loyal to Haftar threatened to do so, in protest against the Turkish...
Tunisia: Eight people sentenced to death for 2015 attack
Tunis, Jan 18, 2020 - A Tunisian court on Friday sentenced eight people to death in a trial for a 2015 attack on a presidential guard bus that killed 12. The November 24, 2015 suicide bombing in the capital Tunis claimed by the Islamic State group (IS) killed a dozen...
Sahel: Roadside bomb kills six soldiers in Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou, Jan 17, 2020 - Six Burkina Faso soldiers were killed Friday when their vehicle was hit by a roadside explosive in a northern province, security sources said, in the latest attack on the country's armed forces. No group claimed immediate responsibility...
Sahel: New wave of population displacement in Niger amid rising terrorism
Niamey, Jan 19, 2020 - Nearly 7,000 people have fled the region in western Niger where jihadist fighters killed 89 soldiers in a devastating attack earlier this month, the UN refugee agency said. But insecurity in the region is making it difficult for the UNHCR to...