North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
Mali: Diplomatic Rift Widens as France Expels Malian Envoys, Halts Counterterrorism Ties
Diplomatic ties between Mali and France have sharply deteriorated after Mali detained a French national on coup-plotting charges, leading France to expel two Malian diplomats and suspend joint counterterrorism efforts. In response, Mali expelled five French embassy staff, ending a lengthy era of security cooperation between the two countries.
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Security/Sahel: Joint Burkina Faso/Niger counter-insurgency operation claims neutralizing dozens of jihadists
The armies of Burkina Faso and neighbouring Niger said Thursday they had killed around 100 "terrorists" in a joint military operation against jihadists on the border between November 25 and December 9. The operation managed to "neutralise around 100 terrorists" and...
Sahel: Cameroon refugees pour into Chad in unfolding violence over water
Footage from the conflict zone By Djimet Wiche More than 30,000 people in northern Cameroon have fled to Chad after ethnic clashes erupted at the weekend, claiming at least 22 lives, the UN's refugee agency said on Friday. Violence broke out in the border village of...
Sahel: Niger president says weapons from Libya fuel violence in Sahel
Niger President Mohamed Bazoum on Monday urged his country's allies to step up the fight against arms trafficking from Libya, which he said is fuelling the Sahel's jihadist insurgency. "The partners' biggest failure has been their weak involvement in the fight against...
Sahel: Gunmen kill seven former rebels in northern Mali
Seven former rebels were killed in northern Mali overnight, a spokesman of the group, the Coordination of Movements of Azawad (CMA), said Monday. The alliance made up mainly of separatist Tuaregs and nationalist Arabs signed an accord with the national government in...
Sahel: Disasters hit Niger hard
By Boureima Hama Few countries in the world struggle with as many burdens as Niger. The arid Sahel state is the world's poorest country according to the UN's Human Development Index. It faces bloody jihadist insurgencies on two of its borders. And now it is being...
Libya: Political divisions threaten the holding of this month’s elections
Libya court upholds presidential bid of PM Dbeibah A Libyan appeals court on Wednesday rejected two petitions against interim prime minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah's candidacy in this month's presidential election, Libyan media reported. The cases argued that Dbeibah was...
Mali: How insurgents are in total control in the north of the country
By Amaury Hauchard Security forces in the Menaka region of northeastern Mali are struggling with a kaleidoscope of militia groups as they strive to bring order to the violence-torn area. Almost every important armed group in Mali has a foothold in Menaka, from the...
Libya: As country prepares for elections, presence of foreign mercenaries remains thorny issue
Fewer violations of the arms embargo on Libya have occurred this year as compared with 2020, but the "continuing presence" of foreign fighters is "still a serious threat," UN experts said in a confidential report. Nonetheless, while the "intense pace of delivery" of...
Egyptian court sentences 22 Jihadists to death by hanging
An Egyptian court on Thursday sentenced to death by hanging 22 Islamist militants for 54 attacks including the attempted assassination of a former interior minister, a judicial source told AFP. The men were found guilty of committing 54 "terrorist operations"...
Burkina Faso: Anti-France sentiment in Burkina Faso creates operational challenges for French troops in the Sahel
By Armel Baily A French military convoy heading for Mali remained blocked in Burkina Faso on Thursday after being hampered by protests. The convoy, comprising several dozen vehicles, is heading for a French base in Gao in the violence-torn centre of Mali. It first has...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Sahel: Dozen killed in insurgent attack on Niger military base in Diffa
At least 10 people were killed on 29 October, when gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram fighters attacked a military base in Blabrine in southeastern Niger's Diffa region, near the border with Nigeria. The assailants destroyed the base.
Tunisia: Wanted female insurgent captured by authorities in Kairouan
The Tunisian security services arrested on 29 October in Kairouan, a woman sentenced in absentia to 6 years in prison, in a case linking her to terrorism. The suspect was the subject of a court warrant.
Sahel: Five teachers released from kidnappers in Mali
Suspected jihadists have freed at least five teachers kidnapped last week at their school in central Mali for using French in the classroom, a government statement said Monday. "The government is grateful for the good will involved for the freeing of the hostages,"...
Sahel: Togolese soldier dies of injuries from Mali attack
Bamako, Oct 28, 2019 - A Togolese peacekeeper who was seriously wounded during an October 6 attack in central Mali by presumed jihadists has died, a spokesman for the UN mission MINUSMA said Monday. "He succumbed to his injuries on Saturday," Olivier Salgado said on...
Egypt claims it killed more insurgents in North Sinai
Oct 29, 2019 - Egyptian security forces killed 13 suspected militants in a raid in the restive North Sinai, the interior ministry said Tuesday. Police raided a hideout in a deserted farm house in El-Arish, provincial capital of North Sinai, triggering a shootout, the...
Sahel: Insurgents attack Bam Province in Burkina Faso, kill villagers
Ouagadougou, Oct 21, 2019 - Nine people were killed in northern Burkina Faso late Sunday, in the latest attack in a region struggling with a jihadist revolt, a security official said. "Armed individuals carried out an attack on the village of Zoura, killing nine...
Tunisia: Army kills suspected militant in Kasserine
Tunis, Oct 20, 2019 - An Al-Qaeda leader was killed and another wounded during an anti-terror raid in Tunisia on Sunday, according to the country's defence ministry. Tunisian armed forces and national guardsmen led the operation against Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb...
Libya: Warlord Haftar’s warplanes kill at least three children near Tripoli
Tripoli, Oct 14, 2019 - At least three children were killed and eight civilians wounded Monday in an air strike on a residential neighbourhood near the Libyan capital, the health ministry said. Spokesman Lamine al-Hachemi said another child was seriously wounded and...
Sahel: Conflict with Jihadists expands to southwest Niger
Niamey, Oct 7, 2019 - Two soldiers were killed and five others wounded in a "terrorist" attack in southwest Niger, a region that until recently had been spared jihadist raids, the interior ministry said Monday. "A detachment of the security and defence forces (FDS)...
Libya: Warlord Haftar’s air raid targets civilians, injures children
Tripoli, Oct 7, 2019 - An air raid on riding stables near the Libyan capital Tripoli has wounded at least six people, including children, sparking condemnation from the United Nations and the unity government. An African worker was also among the six people wounded in...