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
Algeria: IED explosion kills border guard during patrol mission in Tlemcen province
An Algerian border guard was killed and two wounded on Wednesday evening when a bomb went off near the Moroccan border, the defence ministry said Thursday. The home-made device exploded as they passed during a patrol to "secure the borders and tackle organised crime",...
Sahel: UN and NATO mulling over support to Sahelian armies in combating militant groups
NATO is studying options to bolster support for the multinational G5 Sahel force in the troubled three-borders region of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where a surge in jihadist violence has cost thousands of lives, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a...
Sahel: IED kills 16 soldiers between Koro et Bandiagara in Mali
Sixteen soldiers were killed and 10 wounded in an attack in central Mali on Wednesday, security and health officials in the war-torn Sahel state said. In a statement, Mali's army said the troops had been the target of a "complex IED attack" -- referring to an...
Libya: Pro-election youth leader Imad al-Harathi kidnapped
A Libyan youth leader was abducted by unidentified gunmen after calling for demonstrations in support of scheduled December elections, the UN said, voicing concern for his safety. Imad al-Harathi, head of the North African country's National Youth League, "was...
European court rejects Morocco-EU trade deals involving Western Sahara territory
Reactions The Polisario, which seeks independence in the Western Sahara, welcomed a ruling Wednesday by the U's top court cancelling trade deals that allow Morocco to export goods from the territory. "The European court has decided to annul the partnership and fishing...
Sahel: Russia’s entry into the Sahel raises concern in the region
Chad's foreign minister warned against outside interference on Thursday, referencing Russian paramilitaries operating in neighboring countries. Cherif Mahamat Zene said "external interference, wherever it comes from, poses a very serious problem for the stability and...
Algeria closes airspace to all Moroccan planes
By Abdellah Cheballa: Algeria said Wednesday it has closed its airspace to all Moroccan planes due to "provocations and hostile practices" by its neighbour, in the latest dispute between the countries at odds mainly over Western Sahara. The move comes after Algeria...
Libya: Rival forces agree to protect water network
The United Nations on Thursday welcomed the creation of a joint security force from rival sides in Libya to secure the country's water network amid sabotage threats. "It is a very significant step forward towards the unification of the military institution and the...
Libya: Water supply to west and south Libya cut because of political terrorism
Libyan authorities have shut water supplies to swathes of the country after gunmen demanding the release of a jailed Kadhafi-era official threatened to sabotage the water network. Supplies to western and southwestern Libya were interrupted overnight Saturday to...
Egypt army says 13 jihadists killed in Sinai
Egyptian forces have killed 13 Islamist militants during clashes in the restive Sinai Peninsula, the army said. In a statement late Thursday, it said nine of its soldiers had been "killed or wounded", without indicating when the fighting had taken place. "In the...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Tunisia: Army kills two insurgents near Bou Amrane
Two armed alleged jihadists have been shot dead in an "anti-terrorist" operation led by national guard and army units in southern Tunisia, the interior ministry said Saturday. The two "terrorists" were killed in the mountainous area of Orbata in Gafsa, the ministry...
Libya: Fighting continues in Tripoli
Tripoli, July 30, 2019 - Rocket fire forced flights to be suspended and passengers evacuated at the Libyan capital's airport, where a UN envoy warned civilian aircraft had come "perilously close" to being hit. Fighting has raged on Tripoli's doorstep since Libyan...
Sahel: Fifteen killed in Jihadi attack in Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou, July 27, 2019 - Armed men described as jihadists raided a village in Burkina Faso's restive north, killing 15 people, plundering and burning shops and motorbikes, a regional governor said Saturday. The raid took place on the night of Thursday to Friday...
Libya: Warlord Haftar bombs hospital near Tripoli, kills dozen
Tripoli, July 28, 2019- Five doctors were killed in an air strike by forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar on a field hospital near the capital, the health ministry of the UN-recognised government said. Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army launched an...
Libya: Misrata militia says it captured Qaeda leaders
Tripoli, July 25, 2019 - A Libyan militia has arrested a number of Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist leaders in a raid near the capital Tripoli, the group said. The Misrata Joint Security Force carried out the raid against "wanted terrorists, classified as Al-Qaeda leaders",...
Sahel: Six people die of hunger after militia isolated their village in Mali
Bamako, July 24, 2019 - The Malian army will urgently deliver food and medical supplies to a region in central Mali, the prime minister said Wednesday, following the deaths of six people from malnutrition after their village was cut off by militias. Insecurity in the...
Libya: Fighting intensifies near Tripoli
Tripoli, July 23, 2019 - Forces loyal to Libya's UN-recognised government said they fought off a "major" attack on the capital Tripoli led by strongman Khalifa Haftar that left casualties on both sides. On Monday "our forces repelled a major attack by Haftar forces on...
Sahel: Foreign troops wounded in attack on military base in Mali
Paris, July 22, 2019 - Three French and Estonian troops were wounded on Monday when a car bomb exploded at the entrance to an international peace-keeping base in the Malian town of Gao, France's military said on Monday. "There was an attack... at the entrance to the...
Egypt: Islamic State beheads four civilians in North Sinai
Cairo, July 17, 2019 - On Wednesday, 17 July, Islamic State militants beheaded four civilians in Sheikh Zuweid, in town in Egypt's North Sinai after they allegedly collaborated with the Egyptian military. In online statements, the Islamic State group claimed...
Sahel: Soldiers ambushed in NE Mali
Bamako, July 18, 2019 - A Malian soldier was killed and two others wounded in an ambush on their convoy in the northeast of the country near the border with Niger, the Malian Armed Forces said on Thursday. The soldiers had been part of a "logistical escort mission"...