North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Sahel: French hostage and Mali opposition leader freed
A French aid worker kidnapped in Mali in 2016 and one of the country's leading opposition politicians have been released, the presidency said on Thursday. The office of Mali's president said on social media that Frenchwoman Sophie Petronin, 75, and Soumaila Cisse, 70,...
Tunisia announces arrest of two Islamic State insurgents in Jandouba and Kebili
Tunisia on Tuesday arrested two men allegedly linked to the Islamic State group who were plotting "terrorist operations" in the North African nation, the interior ministry said. One was arrested in Jendouba, in northwest Tunisia, and the other in Kebili, in the south....
Morocco: US defense chief Mark Esper in Morocco
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper signed a military cooperation deal Friday with Morocco, his final stop on a North Africa tour aimed at beefing up the fight against jihadists in war-torn Libya and the Sahel. His visit came as talks between Libyan rivals were set to...
With Russia’s presence in Libya and turmoil in the Sahel, US seeks to reengage with the Maghreb
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper signed a 10-year military cooperation deal with Tunis Wednesday during his first stop on a regional tour, hailing US-Tunisia collaboration over the conflict in neighbouring Libya. The past decade has seen growing cooperation between the...
Libya: Armed militias clash in populated neighborhood of east Tripoli
The United Nations has condemned clashes between two armed groups in a residential suburb of the Libyan capital and the use of heavy weapons. UNSMIL, the world body's support mission in Libya, in a statement late Friday expressed "great concern" over the fighting in...
Sahel: Boko Haram ambushes Chad soldiers, kills ten
Ten Chadian soldiers were killed while attacking a base of the Boko Haram Islamist group in the Lake Chad region, the province's secretary-general told AFP on Saturday. Seven soldiers were also injured in Thursday's ambush, Sadick Khatir said, confirming information...
Libya: EU targeting three companies for breach of arms embargo
The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on three companies -- one Turkish, one Kazakh and one Jordanian -- for breaching the UN arms embargo on Libya, diplomatic sources told AFP. Foreign ministers from the bloc signed off on the measures, which freeze any EU...
Morocco raises concern about Islamic State activity
Editor's Note Morocco's concern over a resurgence of Daesh activities came days after a gendarmerie officer was killed in Sousse, Tunisia, in a knife attack that Daesh claimed. With the crisis in Libya attracting so many fighters, neighboring countries are concerned...
Mali: Ambush claims lives of 10 soldiers in Koulioro
At least 10 Malian soldiers were killed in an overnight ambush in a central region near the Mauritanian border where armed jihadist groups are rampant, security and local sources said Friday. It is the third time Malian security forces have suffered heavy losses since...
Libya: Weapons continue to pour into Libya, despite arms embargo
United Nations, United States, Sept 3, 2020 - The interim UN envoy for Libya, Stephanie Williams, on Wednesday denounced what she called "blatant" ongoing violations of the arms embargo in effect on the war-wracked country. Since UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Algeria: More discoveries of war-grade weapons in southern provinces, two insurgents killed
The North Africa Journal: Threat and security assessment and tracking company MEA Risk LLC said the Algerian authorities continue to tally the weapons they have confiscated from the general public. Although illegal, many of what is confiscated are hunting rifles and...
Libya: AP photographer Mohamed Ben Khalifa killed in Tripoli clash
Tripoli, Jan 19, 2019 (AFP) - A Libyan photographer who worked for Associated Press news agency was killed Saturday south of Libya's capital Tripoli where he was covering militia clashes, a medical source and family said. Mohamed Ben Khalifa was killed by shellfire...
Mali: Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for the Aguelhok attack
[email_link] Bamako, Jan 20, 2019 (AFP) - Jihadist gunmen killed 10 Chadian peacekeepers and injured at least 25 others in an attack on a UN camp in northern Mali on Sunday, one of the deadliest strikes against the UN mission in the West African country. Al-Qaeda in...
Mali: Attack on base in Aguelhok claims ten peacekeepers, injures 25
Editor note: Death toll updated to ten peacekeepers and 25 injured Sunday, per the UN as reported by AFP. Bamako, Jan 20, 2019 (AFP) - Gunmen killed at least eight Chadian UN peacekeepers in an attack Sunday on one of their bases in northern Mali, multiple sources...
Sahel: Canadian geologist kidnapped in Burkina Faso found dead
Ouagadougou, Jan 17, 2019 (AFP) - A Canadian geologist kidnapped at a remote gold mine in northeast Burkina Faso by suspected jihadists has been found dead, the ministry of security told AFP on Thursday. A body found with gunshot wounds late Wednesday is that of Kirk...
Sahel: Attack near Mali-Niger border leaves scores dead
Bamako, Jan 16, 2019 - At least 10 people were killed by "terrorists" in northeastern Mali, including members of an armed group and civilians, a government official said on Wednesday. The attack took place around 45 kilometres (27 miles) from Menaka in an area which...
Libya: Southwest Libya braces for more violence as Haftar prepares to bomb insurgent positions
Jan 16, 2019 - The forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar on Wednesday announced a military operation to "purge" jihadists and criminal gangs from the south of the conflict-hit nation. A spokesman for the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) said its...
Libya: Chaos and more deaths in Tripoli
The North Africa Journal with AFP – January 16, 2919: Just as the UN warned against escalating violence in the Libyan capital, there is news of clashes that have already claimed at least five lives. Over the past days, the UN's Libya mission warned against clashes in...
Tunisia court sentences Jihadists to death over killing of soldiers in 2015
Tunis, Jan 12, 2019 (AFP) - A Tunisian court has sentenced 41 jihadists to death over an attack that killed 15 soldiers on the border with Algeria in 2014, prosecutors said Saturday. The sentences for the men, only two of whom are currently in custody, were delivered...
Egypt deports second German alleged ‘jihadist’
Berlin, Jan 14, 2019 (AFP) - Egypt has deported the second of two young German men who were arrested last month as suspected jihadist militants, the foreign ministry in Berlin said Monday. Eighteen-year-old Issa Ibrahim ElSabagh landed at Frankfurt airport, reported...