North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
Sahel: Community Mourns Mariam Cissé, Killed by Militants in Northern Mali
Mariam Cissé, a prominent content creator from Tonka, Mali, was abducted and publicly executed by armed militants in the Goundam district of the Timbuktu region. Her killing, believed to be linked to videos she posted about armed activity in local markets, has drawn widespread shock online and underscored the dangers facing civilians and public figures in militant-controlled parts of northern Mali.
SECURITY & DEFENSE
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...
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...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
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...
Sahel: Mystery about disappearance of civilians in Mali
Bamako, Dec 30, 2019 - Malian authorities and the United Nations have opened investigations into the alleged disappearance of more than 20 civilians in the war-torn West African country this month, security and government officials said Monday. There are few details...
Crisis in Sahel: France’s quagmire
The Sahel is experiencing utter destabilization. Almost all countries of the region, starting with Mali, then Niger, Chad, more recently Burkina Faso, and to a certain extent northern Nigeria, are falling apart and suffering from a series of factors that conspire to...