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
Sudan condemns Chadian group’s killing of 18
Sudan's foreign ministry on Saturday condemned the killing of 18 Sudanese people during an attack by an armed group from Chad, state media reported. The killings took place Thursday when Sudanese herders from West Darfur state were ambushed while following the trails...
Sahel: Bomb attack in Ouakan, central Mali kills civilians
At least 12 civilians have been killed in Mali by suspected jihadists who lured victims into a bomb attack, two elected officials and a police source told AFP on Saturday. "The jihadists first killed two civilians in Ouakan (a town near Bankass in central Mali) before...
Libya: Fighting between rival militias rocks El Jebs, south of Tripoli
Clashes between armed groups erupted overnight in Tripoli, according to local media reports, the latest violence to hit the Libyan capital. An AFP journalist heard gunfire and explosions around 1:00 am Saturday (2300 GMT) in the city. The fighting, with light and...
Libya: United Nations to broker new talks between rivals in Libya
The United Nations said Thursday it will broker new talks between rival institutions from war-torn Libya next week to try to break a deadlock on the rules for long-awaited elections. "(Parliament speaker) Aguila Saleh and President of the High Council of State Khaled...
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...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
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...
Podcast: The Libyan crisis is getting more complex
The discussion on Libya that follows was recorded on the 10 of January. The discussion between MEA Risk’s Arezki Daoud and Alessandro Bruno took place a day or two before the two warring parties agreed on a truce. Although there have been some minor breached to the...
Sahel: People of Mali want foreign troops out
Bamako, Jan 10, 2020 - Hundreds of people in Mali on Friday protested against the presence of foreign troops in their country, just days ahead of a summit meant to "clarify" France's military role in the region. Malian and foreign soldiers have been struggling to...
Sahel: Massacre in Niger’s Tillaberi region
Niamey, Jan 12, 2020 - A jihadist attack on a military camp in western Niger three days ago left 89 soldiers dead, according to a new toll announced by the government on public radio Sunday. "After a thorough search, the toll has been established as 89 dead among...
Sahel: Roadside bomb kills five soldiers in Mali
Bamako, Jan 6, 2020 (AFP) - Five Malian soldiers were killed Monday in a roadside bomb attack, a government spokesperson said, in the latest violence to hit the West African country's volatile central region. The troops were travelling in the region of Alatona, near...
Libya: Dangerous military buildup in Libya
Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar announced this morning (Monday, 6 January) his troops entered the coastal city of Sirte and seized Ghardabiya airport and the country's biggest military base from militias loyal to the Tripoli government. The Misrata forces, which...
Libya: Warlord Khalifa Haftar’s raid on military school in residential area kills at least 28
Tripoli, Jan 4, 2020 - At least 28 people were killed and dozens injured on Saturday in an air strike on a military school in the Libyan capital Tripoli, a ministry spokesman said. "An air raid on the military school of Tripoli killed 28 cadets and injured dozens...