North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
Facing Regional Instability, Algeria Introduces Mobilization Law in Line with Global Practices
Amid rising regional tensions, Algeria is updating its defense laws with a proposed general mobilization bill that would allow for the rapid transition from peacetime to wartime readiness. The law outlines scenarios triggering full national mobilization, mandates civilian compliance, and grants sweeping powers to authorities in times of imminent threat or aggression.
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Sahel: More bloodshed in Niger as new attack in Banibangou claims 15 soldiers
Niger's government said Wednesday that 15 of its soldiers were killed in a "terrorist attack" near the border with Mali, bringing to 31 the number of troops killed in four days. Niger's defence ministry said "heavily armed men" had attacked troops serving under the...
Chad military junta says counterinsurgency campaign is working, rules out dialogue
Rebels who launched an offensive in northern Chad, sparking clashes that claimed the life of veteran president Idriss Deby Itno, are in flight, the country's new defence minister said on Thursday. "The security forces are thoroughly sweeping the operational area. Most...
Egypt worsens its foreign debt to buy more French fighter jets
Editor’s Opinion: They spend money they don’t have on military equipment they don’t need By Arezki Daoud - Egypt is spending money it does not have on military equipment it may never use. This is not unusual for MENA countries, although the nations flush with cash can...
Sahel: Clashes in Niger intensify, dozens killed
Niger army killed 24 'suspected terrorists': government Niger troops killed 24 "suspected terrorists' after they sought to escape after being captured in the west of the country, the government said Sunday. The suspects had been planning an attack on the market town...
Sahel: Chad army and opposition rebels clash in Kanem
Government troops and rebels clashed on Thursday in a region of western Chad where president Idriss Deby Itno was killed earlier this month, a spokesman said. The fighting in the desert region of Kanem, near Chad's border with Niger, pits Libya-based rebels against...
Mali: Three UN peacekeepers wounded in Mali attack
Three United Nations peacekeepers were on Sunday seriously injured in a rocket attack on a military base in the north of the conflict-ridden Sahel state, UN and local officials said. Olivier Salgado, the spokesman for the UN's MINUSMA mission in Mali, said the attack...
Chad: Hunt of alleged killers of president Deby expands to Niger
Chad's new ruling junta on Sunday vowed to root out a rebel leader accused of "war crimes", seeking help from neighbouring Niger to track him down along with his fighters. The army has "located the enemy spread out in small groups, now regrouping in Niger territory,"...
Sahel: Lawlessness in northern Chad
Northern Chad is a restive region and a breeding ground for rebel groups which oppose the N'Djamena authorities. A lawless zone abandoned to illegal gold miners and gangs of traffickers, the troubled Sahel region is scarcely populated and difficult to control. The...
Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula continues on its path to complete instability
Egypt's interior ministry said Monday it killed three "terrorist elements" in the Sinai Peninsula suspected of involvement in the execution of a Coptic Christian claimed by an Islamic State-affiliated group. "National security received intelligence about a group of...
Mali: Fighting between hunters and insurgents wrecks havoc on Mopti region
About 40 people have been killed in recent clashes between jihadists and traditional hunters, the government of central Mali's Mopti region said Monday, with the fighting displacing around 1,000 people. The war-torn region's government said in a statement that clashes...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Libya hands over suspected Islamic State insurgent to Egypt
Cairo, May 29, 2019 - One of the most-wanted Egyptian militants who was captured in neighbouring Libya last year has been transferred to Egypt, state media reported on Wednesday. Libyan strongman Khalifa Hafter handed over Hisham el-Ashmawy after meeting with Egypt's...
Sahel: Crisis Group suggests provocative idea of dialogue between Mali and insurgents
Dakar, May 28, 2019 - Mali's government should consider "dialogue" with jihadists waging an insurgency in the west African state, the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank suggested Tuesday, an idea promptly rejected by Bamako. The idea of talking to jihadists...
Libya: Two journalists released
Tripoli, May 25, 2019 (AFP) - Two Libyan journalists held by an armed group for more than three weeks have been released, the television channel they work for said Saturday. "We congratulate the press world for the release of our two colleagues, Mohamad al-Gurj and...
Chaos and insecurity in the Sahel
May 25, 2019 - Jihadists are scoring gains in the Sahel, defying efforts by five countries in the fragile region to fight back with Western help against Islamist militancy. Areas of insecurity on the Sahara's poor, arid southern rim are widening, analysts say, even as...
Libya: Tripoli braces for a long war, Haftar wants no negotiations
May 26, 2019 - Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, who is leading a military offensive against the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, said in an interview published Sunday he will continue fighting until militias in the city laid down their arms. Haftar had justified...
Sahel: Boko Haram kills four soldiers and journalist in Chad
N'Djamena, May 26, 2019 - Four Chadian soldiers and a television reporter were killed when their vehicle hit a mine on a road in eastern Chad, security sources said Sunday. The victims were headed towards an army position that had been attacked by elements of the Boko...
Libya: Building of lawmakers opposing warlord Haftar hit by rocket
Tripoli, May 24, 2019 - A hotel complex in the Libyan capital serving as a base for lawmakers opposed to strongman Khalifa Haftar was hit by rocket fire Friday, witnesses said. The internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) blamed the attack at...
Libya: Death toll in battle for Tripoli exceeds 500, no break for civilians in Ramadan
Tripoli, May 21, 2019 (By Imed Lamloum) - Violent clashes raged Tuesday south of Tripoli, marking an uptick in fighting as the UN envoy for Libya warned of a "long and bloody war". Heavy artillery fire could be heard from the city centre as the most intense fighting...
Libya: Four kidnapped foreign workers in Libya released
May 17, 2019 - Three Filipino civil engineers and a South Korean colleague kidnapped in Libya last July have been released and flown to the United Arab Emirates, the UAE foreign ministry said Friday. It said the engineers held by unidentified armed groups were freed...
France’s Total to get Anadarko Africa’s assets: What are the challenges ahead?
The takeover of Anadarko by Occidental paves the way for France's Total to acquire Anadarko assets and projects in Africa. A MEA Risk analysis says from afar, this looks like a good deal as all the projects in these countries have tremendous upsides. But it also...