North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Egypt: Helicopter of observer force crashes in Sinai, seven killed
A helicopter crash in Egypt's Sinai desert involving a multi-national observer force killed seven people on Thursday -- five Americans, a French national and a Czech citizen, an Israeli source told AFP. An official with the Multinational Force & Observers (MFO),...
Egypt: Impasse in talks over Ethiopia dam
Sudan said Wednesday the latest round of talks with Egypt and Ethiopia over Addis Ababa's controversial dam on the Blue Nile ended after they failed to make headway. The negotiations, held over videoconference, kicked off Sunday and were meant to last a week in a...
Sahel: France drags European troops into a conflict they cannot win
Inside a military base in northern Mali, a concrete bollard emblazoned with French, Estonian and Swedish flags marks a zone reserved for a new anti-jihadist unit of elite European troops. Dubbed Task Force Takuba, the new joint deployment marks a coup for France,...
Tunisia’s problem with its radicalized youth
The killing of three people at a church in France has focused attention on extremism in the suspected attacker's native Tunisia, where political instability has hobbled efforts to tackle radicalisation. It is unclear where Brahim Aouissaoui was radicalised in Tunisia,...
Security: France in Al-Qaeda’s crosshairs
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb urged its followers Monday to kill anyone insulting the Prophet Mohammed and threatened French President Emmanuel Macron over his remarks on Islam. Last month Macron defended the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed on...
Libya: New meeting in Ghadames to set up the basis of a ceasefire
Rival Libyan military officers arrived Monday for talks held for the first time on home soil following a ceasefire deal last month, an AFP reporter said. Formal talks will begin later on Monday evening, said the AFP reporter present, with discussions tackling the...
Morocco: IS-linked inmate kills guard at Tiflet prison
A Moroccan prison guard was killed by an inmate who was in jail for belonging to a militant cell linked to the Islamic State group, prosecutors said Wednesday. The detainee on Tuesday "took captive an employee in his cell and assaulted him with a metal object" at...
Sahel: As expected, France opposes dialogue in the Sahel
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, on a trip to Mali on Monday, ruled out dialogue with jihadists driving an eight-year-old insurgency in the Sahel state. (See our opinion on this last week). "Let's say things very clearly. There are peace accords (with...
Libya: Tenuous ceasefire in Libya as foreign meddlers ponder what to do next
Libya's two warring factions signed a "permanent" ceasefire agreement on Friday after five days of talks at the United Nations, which hailed the deal as a historic moment following years of turmoil and bloodshed. "Today is a good day for the Libyan people," said...
Sahel: Another massacre in Mali, 12 civilian killed in Mopti
Twelve civilians were killed in volatile central Mali on Tuesday morning in addition to 12 soldiers who died in a twin attack that began overnight, police and humanitarian officials said. The group was travelling in a minibus following a military convoy sent to...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Niger: Suspected Jihadis strike in southwest Niger, kill three
Feb 13, 2019 - Two policemen and a civilian were killed on Wednesday in a village in remote southwestern Niger, a region that until now has been spared jihadist attacks, local officials said. Five armed men, arriving on three motorcycles, attacked a market in the...
Morocco: Police arrest three foreign nationals suspected to have links to Islamic State
Rabat, Feb 12, 2019 - Moroccan authorities said Tuesday they had arrested three French nationals suspected of links to the Islamic State jihadist group for alleged involvement in "financing terrorism". The suspects, one of whom is of Algerian origin, were arrested...
Libya: New offensive of self-proclaimed Marshal Haftar further destabilizes southern regions
Libya, Feb 7, 2019 - A military push in southern Libya which strongman Khalifa Haftar says is aimed at rooting out "terrorists" and foreign fighters has sparked backlash from an ethnic minority and the UN-backed government. The offensive risks fuelling tensions in a...
Sahel: French fighter jets hit rebels entering Chad from Libya
Paris, Feb 6, 2019 (AFP) - French warplanes have carried out fresh attacks against an armed convoy which crossed into Chad from Libya, after initial strikes over the weekend failed to halt its advance, the French army said Wednesday. Acting in conjunction with Chad's...
Burkina Faso: Jihadi attack on Yatenga, near Mali, leaves 14 people dead
Ouagadougou, Feb 4, 2019 - Fourteen civilians were killed in a jihadist attack in northern Burkina Faso near the Mali border, the military said on Monday. The army conducted raids in three northern provinces in response and said it had "neutralised" 146 militants,...
Niger: US military to help Niger confront Boko Haram incursions and attacks
Niamey, Feb 4, 2019 - The United States turned over a communications and operations centre to the Niger army on Monday to help the African nation battle Boko Haram, a statement said. The planning and operations control centre, worth $16.5 million (14.4 million euros),...
Sahel: Burkina Faso braces for more attacks on mines, asks industry to up security posture
Ouagadougou, Feb 1, 2019 - Authorities in Burkina Faso told mining companies on Friday to toughen up "anti-jihadist" security measures in the wake of the kidnapping and killing of a Canadian geologist last month. The body of Kirk Woodman was discovered with gunshot...
Libya-based Chadian rebels cross border to Chad, get bombed by French Air Force
Paris, Feb 4, 2019 - French warplanes on Sunday struck twice to halt an armed group that crossed into northern Chad from Libya in a column of 40 pickup trucks, the French military said, adding it acted at Chad's request. A rebel group opposed to President Idriss Deby...
Niger: Boko Haram attacks Boso, kills four
Niamey, Jan 29, 2019 - Boko Haram militants have shot dead at least four people in a town in Niger near the border with Nigeria, a local official said Tuesday. Three other people were wounded in the attack on Monday night in Bosso, a town near the Lake Chad basin...
Mali: Two peacekeepers killed by mine in Mopti
Bamako, Jan 25, 2019 - Two UN peacekeepers from Sri Lanka died and six wounded in central Mali Friday when their vehicle hit a mine, the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) announced. "This morning... a vehicle in a MINUSMA logistics convoy hit a mine near Douentza, Mopti...