North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
Niger Moves Uranium From SOMAÏR Mine Despite Arbitration Ruling
Niger’s military authorities have authorized the removal and transport of uranium from the SOMAÏR mine at Arlit without the involvement of longtime operator Orano, prompting the French nuclear group to denounce the shipment as illegal and in breach of a September 2025 World Bank–linked arbitration ruling. While Niamey signals plans to sell the stock on the open market as an assertion of resource sovereignty, the move raises legal, safety, and security concerns as uranium travels by road through conflict‑affected Sahel corridors.
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Despite dismal human rights abuses, Egypt to acquire advanced F-15 fighter jets
A senior US general told Congress Tuesday that the United States will sell Egypt advanced F-15 fighter jets, despite concerns in Washington over Cairo's human rights record. "In the case of Egypt, I think we have good news, in that we are going to provide them with...
Terrorism: Insurgents raid bus in SW Niger, kill 21 passengers
Suspected jihadists attacked a bus and a truck in southwest Niger, killing 21 people in the troubled Tillaberi region near Burkina Faso, local and security sources said on Thursday. Niger, the world's poorest country according to the UN's Human Development Index, is...
Libya armed groups step back after Tripoli escalation
Libya's parliament-appointed prime minister said Friday that armed groups backing him had withdrawn from positions around Tripoli, after the UN warned of a new escalation in the divided country. Libya has had rival administrations since the eastern-based assembly...
Sahel: Mauritania accuses Mali army of crimes against its citizens
The foreign ministry in Nouakchott on Tuesday accused Mali's army of crimes against Mauritanians after protesters in the capital charged they had been killed "in cold blood". Mali's ambassador Mohamed Dibassy had been called in to hear a "strong protest against the...
Libya: Militia ends siege of oil fields, production in Al-Sharara field resumes
Libya's National Oil Corporation said Tuesday that an armed group blockading two major oil fields had lifted its siege and that production had resumed at one of them. The NOC had announced the suspension of production on Sunday at the vast Al-Sharara and Al-Fil...
Chad: Five soldiers killed in Lake Chad region
Five Chadian soldiers have been killed by jihadists in the Lake Chad region, a vast marshland that has become a bolthole for Islamist rebels, President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno said on Wednesday. "This latest loss, which can be ascribed to a terrorist ambush by the...
Mali: Violent clash rocks Timbuktu with many casualties
The Malian army said it had killed 19 jihadists in operations northeast of the capital Bamako that were supported by European special forces. A statement by the armed forces chief of staff late Tuesday said operations in the Timbuktu, Segou, Mopti and Bandiagara...
Tensions between Algeria and Morocco persist as Rabat calls border areas military zone
Morocco has established a new military zone bordering Algeria, a Moroccan military publication said Monday, amid mounting tensions between the two North African countries. The establishment of the new zone redefines Morocco's military borders, introducing a new...
Sahel: Senegalese President begs Germany to not abandon Mali
Senegalese President Macky Sall on Monday urged Germany to keep its troops in Mali, amid uncertainty over their future in the fragile Sahel country after France announced a military withdrawal. The call came at a news conference in Senegal's capital Dakar with German...
Sahel: The Burkina Faso coup: Not so bloodless after all
Two civilians were killed and a dozen injured in last month's coup in Burkina Faso, an event that had previously been hailed as bloodless, the authorities said on Monday, adding that junta leader and interim president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba had ordered an...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Chad: Boko Haram raids military outpost, 13 fighters and four Chadian troops killed
Sahel: Islamic State claims responsibility in death of French troops in Mali
Paris, Nov 29, 2019 - An ambush by Islamic State jihadists did not cause a collision between two French army helicopters which left 13 soldiers dead in Mali, France's military chief of staff said Friday. The Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) claimed...
Libya: Work at Al-Feel oil field in southwest Libya halts amid fighting
Tripoli, Nov 27, 2019 - Libya's National Oil Corporation said fighting triggered a suspension of production Wednesday at a key field in the country's southwest. Forces loyal to eastern Libya strongman Khalifa Haftar said they carried out air raids against "armed...
Sahel: French soldiers killed in Mali in helicopters’ collision during sweeping operation
Paris, Nov 26, 2019 (By Daphne Benoit and Jérôme Rivet) - Thirteen French soldiers were killed in Mali when two helicopters collided while fighting insurgents in the country's restive north, officials said Tuesday, the heaviest single loss for the French military in...
Libya: Russia’s alleged involvement in Libya prompts US re-engagement
Since Donald Trump became President of the United States, North Africa and the African continent in general, have not been a strategic focus for Washington. But on the crisis in Libya, the US administration is trying to reengage these days and to be less reactive and...
Sahel: Counter-insurgency campaign intensifies in Burkina Faso
On the Mali-Burkina border, Burkina Faso, Nov 25, 2019 (By Amaury HAUCHARD) - It was the heart of the forest and there, in a marsh, lay a carpet of water lilies, their delicacy unveiled in the dawn light. But the beauty belied the danger -- the Tofa Gala forest, on...
Libya: Europe urges release of kidnapped Libyan lawmaker
Tripoli, Nov 17, 2019 - Thirteen European diplomatic missions in Libya, including the EU delegation, demanded Sunday "urgent investigations" into the disappearance four months ago of a lawmaker and called for her immediate release. Siham Sergewa disappeared on July 17...
Mali in a state of chaos
MALI IN CHAOSMopti, Mali, Nov 5, 2019 - By Celia Lebur - Untroubled by time, the mighty Niger River glides through the Sahel city as women wash their clothes in its brackish waters and cows slumber nearby in the heat. But this peaceful image is an illusion, for Mopti,...
Sahel: Dozens killed in ambush on convoy of Canadian gold miner Semafo in Burkina Faso
An escalation of attacks across the Sahel is now affecting mining operations, with Canadian firm Semafo reporting casualties among its employees. At least 37 people were killed and dozens more wounded according to local authorities. MEA Risk LLC reports that...
Sahel: French Defense Minister admits crisis in Mali is “difficult,” wants more Europeans troops
France's defence minister said Tuesday she was "optimistic" European forces would step up to bolster the fight against militancy in Mali, as the country reels from a devastating jihadist attack that killed dozens of soldiers. Mali's military is struggling to contain...