North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
Niger Dissolves Hundreds of Private Security Firms in Major Industry Overhaul
Niger’s government has dissolved 400 private security firms under new regulations aimed at formalizing industry oversight and raising operational standards. The move leaves thousands of workers facing layoffs and signals a major shift toward stricter licensing, compliance, and government supervision in the sector.
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Libya: UN decries lack of progress in withdrawal of mercenaries from Libya
Libya has seen "no reduction of foreign fighters or of their activities" in the center of the country, says UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a report submitted this week to the Security Council. "While the ceasefire agreement continued to hold, UNSMIL (the UN...
Sahel: Jihadists in Mali resorting in gruesome practice of amputating hands and feet of suspected thieves
UN peacekeepers in Mali on Thursday offered to help bring to justice jihadists behind the amputation of suspected thieves' hands and feet, an apparent revival of a practice that had all but vanished. Speaking on condition of anonymity, local sources in Tin-Hama in...
Sahel: No break during the Eid holiday: Five villagers killed in Niger’s Tillaberi region
Five people were killed on Wednesday in an attack on a village in the western Tillaberi region of Niger, near the border with Mali, as the country celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a local official told AFP. ...
Libya warns Italy over illegal fishing after incident with Italian trawlers
Libya's coastguard on Sunday warned against "illegal" fishing in its waters, denying Italian claims it had wounded a fisherman as it fired shots during an operation against four boats from Sicily. Citing "repeated, documented violations", the coastguard said that on...
Sahel: Chad military junta said it defeated FACT insurgents
Chad's military junta on Sunday declared victory after a month-long operation against rebels in the northwest of the Sahel country, parading 156 prisoners before the press in the capital N'Djamena. Fighting erupted on April 11, the day of a presidential election that...
Libya: Armed men stage show of force at presidential council HQ
Dozens of armed men staged a show of force late Friday at a hotel used as a headquarters by Libya's presidential council as the nation's deep divisions resurface. The country was plunged into chaos after longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi was ousted and killed in a...
Sahel: French journalist Olivier Dubois kidnapped in Mali
By Serge Daniel, Amaury Hauchard in N'Djamena - Missing French journalist Olivier Dubois says he has been kidnapped in Mali by a jihadist group with links to Al-Qaeda, according to a video circulating on social media on Wednesday. Here is what we know about the latest...
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...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Morocco: Court adjourns in tourist murder case, suspect admits to crime
Salé, Morocco, May 30, 2019 | By Hamza Mekouar - The alleged leader of a jihadist cell accused of killing two Scandinavian hikers in Morocco admitted to the murders in court on Thursday, saying they were carried out in the name of the Islamic State group. Danish...
Libya’s power sector: collateral damage of the civil war
Tripoli, May 31, 2019 | By Nawas Al-Darraji: Precariously perched 50 metres up an electricity pylon providing power to Libya's capital, Mohamad Dahman attempts to fix damage caused by fighting -- but hastily descends when a rocket explodes nearby. "We're used to...
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...