North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
Sahel: Surging Jihadist Violence Batters the Sahel, Exposing Government Weakness
Jihadist violence has surged across the Sahel, with militants overrunning military bases, ambushing convoys, and forcing civilians to negotiate with armed groups for survival. Hardest hit are conflict corridors in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and northeastern Nigeria, where blockades and insecurity have left millions displaced or trapped in besieged communities.
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Libya: UN Security Council signals willingness to contain Libyan crisis
The UN Security Council on Thursday instructed Secretary General Antonio Guterres to deploy ceasefire monitors to war-torn Libya. "As they examine your recommendation for an amended mandate for the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), the members of the...
Algeria: High-profile trial of terror group involved in murder of French hiker postponed
A trial in Algeria over the murder of French mountaineer Herve Gourdel by jihadists in 2014 was postponed Thursday due to the prime suspect's ill health, judicial sources said. Abdelmalek Hamzaoui, an alleged jihadist, had arrived at court for the opening hearing of...
Mali: Insurgents in armored vehicles kill ten Mali soldiers in Boni
Ten troops were killed in Mali's troubled central region early Wednesday when their camp came under attack from jihadists, security sources said. Their position at Boni, located between Douentza and Hombori in the Mopti region, was attacked by "heavily armed...
Tunisia: Soldiers killed in blast during anti-terror sweep at Mount Mghila
A landmine killed four Tunisian soldiers on Wednesday during an counter-terrorism operation in mountainous central Tunisia, the defence ministry said. "Four soldiers who were part of a military unit tasked with carrying out a combing operation of Mount Mghila looking...
Tunisia: President’s aide briefly hospitalized after opening suspect letter
The Tunisian president's chief of staff has been hospitalised after handling a suspicious letter addressed to head of state Kais Saied, his office said Thursday, suggesting an attempted poisoning. Nadia Akacha had opened the envelope addressed to Saied but found it...
Libya: Biden administration more assertive on the Libyan crisis
The United States on Thursday called for the immediate withdrawal of Russian and Turkish forces from Libya, after a deadline for them to leave was ignored. This appeal marked a firmer expression of US policy toward oil-rich Libya under the new administration of...
Sahel: Month-long French military campaign in Mali leads to 100 insurgents dead, says France
A hundred jihadists were killed this month in a joint Franco-Malian offensive in the West African country's lawless centre, the Malian army said Tuesday. "One hundred terrorists were neutralised, about 20 captured and several motorbikes and war equipment were seized"...
Sahel: Feuding herders and farmers in central Mali endorse peace
Representatives from herder and farmer communities that have become ensnarled in violence sparked by jihadist attacks in central Mali have signed three "peace agreements," a Swiss mediator said. The accords brings together the Fulani, also called Peul, who mainly...
Western Sahara: Morocco-Polisario conflict escalates
Pro-independence rebels fighting Morocco over the disputed territory of Western Sahara on Sunday vowed a military escalation, hours after launching an overnight attack. The Polisario Front said they had bombarded the Morocco-controlled area of Guerguerat, a crossing...
Libya: Russian and other foreign mercenaries still active in Libya
Foreign forces ignored a deadline to pull out of Libya as scheduled Saturday under a UN-backed ceasefire deal, highlighting the fragility of peace efforts after a decade of conflict. Satellite images broadcast by CNN show a trench running tens of kilometres (miles)...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Morocco: Swiss national sentenced to prison for terrorism
Rabat, April 12, 2019 - A Moroccan court has sentenced a Swiss citizen arrested in connection with the murder of two Scandinavian hikers to 10 years in prison on terrorism charges, his lawyer said Friday. Kahlil Idriss said the man, identified only as Nicolas P., 33,...
Libya: Thousands flee, population stranded inside conflict zone in Tripoli
April 12, 2019 - More than 8,000 people have fled fighting around Libya's capital, half of whom have been displaced over the last two days, the United Nations said Friday. "Displacements from areas affected by the clashes in an around Tripoli continue to surge," UN...
Libya crisis update – 11 April 2019
Tripoli, April 11, 2019 - By Rim Taher and Imed Lamloum - The UN chief warned Libya is on the brink of "a very dangerous situation" as forces loyal to the internationally recognised government and a rival strongman battle for control of the capital. Thousands of...
Mali: French forces in Mali set up base near Burkina border after major clean up operation
April 10, 2019 - French and Malian troops killed or captured more than 30 extremists and dismantled a jihadist training camp during a major counter-terrorism operation near Mali's border with Burkina Faso, the French military told AFP on Friday. The operation is the...
Sahel: Boko Haram targets Niger’s Diffa region in new attacks
Niamey, April 10, 2019 - Several people have been taken hostage and a policeman killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants in a troubled region of southeastern Niger, a senior official told AFP on Wednesday. The jihadists, some of them believed to be wearing suicide...
Libya: Fighting outside Tripoli rages on as UN struggles to find a solution to the crisis
Tripoli, April 10, 2019 - The battle for Libya's capital intensified as the UN Security Council prepared to meet Wednesday to discuss the crisis gripping the North African country, where armed rivals are locked in a deadly power struggle. The closed-door talks in New...
Libya: Thousands flee Libya clashes
Tripoli, April 8, 2019 - Fighting raged around Tripoli and an air strike closed its only functioning airport Monday, as Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar defied international calls to halt his advance on the capital. Thousands were also reported by the United Nations to...
Libya: Flights halted at Tripoli airport as fighting continues, death toll reaches 35
Tripoli, Libya, April 8, 2019 - A warplane carried out an air strike Monday against the Libyan capital's only functioning airport and halted all flights, aviation authorities said, as fighting raged for control of Tripoli. A security source at Mitiga airport east of...
Mali: French military doctor killed in Mopti, soldier wounded
April 2, 2019 - A French military doctor was killed in Mali when his armoured vehicle hit an improvised explosive device during an operation against "armed terrorist groups", the French presidency and army said Tuesday. France's army for the past year and a half has...
Sahel: Mali fires senior army officers, disbands Dogon militia after killing of Fulanis
Bamako, March 24, 2019 - By Serge Daniel and Kassim Taore: Mali's government on Sunday announced the sacking of senior military officers and the dissolution of an ethnic militia, a day after the massacre of more than 130 Fulani villagers, including women and children....